With Sword and Smile
by Killerflood
Summary: Starting from the burning of the Lorca, read a spirited Lyn's struggles as she matures on her journey to meet her last kin. All the while her faithful tactician Mark does his best to keep her and their friends alive while trying to find a way back home. A simple retelling of Lyn's Story from Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken (Blazing Blade).
1. (i) A Sword and a Smile

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken._ Any and all canon characters and settings are property of Intelligent Systems. I also do not claim anything non-canon that might appear.

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The Sacae plains were burning and its grass was now wet with blood. The Taliver bandits had come down from their mountain hellhole to strike again, aiming this time for the small nomadic tribe called the Lorca. Coming in the night and with the clouded sky further masking their approach, the tight-knit, nomadic community was undone quickly by the blades of their axes. Having poisoned the tribe's water supply the day just before the attack, they felt that the Lorca were ripe for pillaging. Thus the Taliver bandits were smart enough not to give much chance, if any, to their victims to fight back. . .and cruel enough to not leave many alive to tell the tale.

In the midst of all this pillaging and murder was a helpless and young girl being dragged through it all by her father. Her green hair hastily done in a pony-tail was darkened by the smoke of the burning tents and her bright green eyes were reddened with her tears. Dirt clung to her green robes as she struggles against the hands and arms of her desperate father. She cries out, "Father, please, where's mother? We have to find mother! Father, where is she? We can't leave without her! MOTHER!" The girl screams and thrashes around, nearly succeeding in breaking out of her father's weakened grip.

"Lyndis!" The girl's father practically croaks her name and shakes her. He is unable to fight due to the toxins in his blood and the creeping exhaustion is starting to plague him. Lyndis stops for a moment but her head still jerks wildly from side to side. And while her father might be holding her still, that does not mean her body has stopped shaking. Her father tries to reassure her. "I'll find your mother later but right now you are more important! Please stop struggling; your mother would want you to live and so do I." Lyndis does as he says and stops fighting against his grip. Now having a stable hold, he almost drags her forward and the two of them start moving once more.

A shrill scream is heard in a nearby tent and that rotten smell of burning flesh grows ever stronger. Small clangs of iron on iron would have been heard through the village if it weren't for the cries of the women and children being cut down or caught unaware inside their burning tents. Behind the two, a small pattering of feet grows louder. The father takes his sword out and gets ready to swing but he stops at what he sees. A woman hobbles up to the two and collapses into the father's arms. Her eyes, just as green as Lyndis', cannot hold back the tears.

"Hassar! Lyndis! Thank the gods." The woman is convulsing slightly as she weakly sobs into Hassar's chest.

"Madelyn! Madelyn, please try to stand. We don't have the time to rest. I am sorry but we must leave."

Hassar grips Madelyn around the waist and pulls her up. Madelyn cringes and yelps, almost falling down. "Mother!" Lyndis breaks free from Hassar and runs around her mother trying to help her up. "What's wrong?" Lyndis puts her arms around her mother and finds her arm rubbing against torn cloth and her mother's blood. Her side had apparently been cut dearly. "Mother! What happened!" Hassar quickly lifts Madelyn up. He himself cringes not at the pain this causes him but at his wife's resulting scream.

Madelyn is finally able to stand on her own feet, managing to stay strong in spite of the poison and gash. "A bandit caught me. He had swung his axe and I couldn't dodge it. I was on the ground but he was driven off by someone. I got up and went searching for you two."

"These monsters won't get away with this. Even if the gods won't do anything, the spirits will look down on this with disgust. They must have some power. They will protect you both." Hassar softly reassures both Lyndis and Madelyn even if he himself is beginning to doubt. "But first we must get to the stream. My horse is there and it shouldn't have been affected by the water."

The three move quickly even in their weakened state and indeed it seems the spirits can generous when they want to be. They are somehow lucky enough to be able to move through the burning village without a single bandit spotting them. They are not lucky enough though to be able to move without seeing the bandits' destructive wake. They struggle to move past burning carcasses of those who died in their tents and the corpses of those who tried to run away or were brave enough to fight back. As they finally near the stream at the back of the village, their remaining strength begins to finally leave them and they start to break down.

"Hassar, leave me. . .I'm just slowing us down." Madelyn speaks softly, her face pale and just as gaunt as Hassar's. She is close to death and she knows it. "Lyndis. . .you must save Lyndis. She. . .is the one we must save."

"No, I can save you. I can save you both. Please, we must go!" Hassar struggles on and tries to remain brave but even he, the great leader of the Lorca, is beginning to fully understand the hopeless situation he's been thrown into. He has lead the Lorca through the dry plains of Sacae and because of him they had stayed strong. Now however, he is unable to lead and save the tribe due to the chaos, and it appears ever more likely that he won't be able to even save his family.

"No. . .we-" Madelyn begins to argue but Lyndis cuts her off.

"Mother no. We can all get to the stream." Lyndis lifts her arm and points. "See, it's just there. The horse is still there too. See? We can all make it. The spirits haven't left us yet."

Indeed, the spirits hadn't left them. As the trio start to move away from the tents they see that the horse is miraculously still there and standing. Its dark hair had caused it to go unseen in the distance as the bandits swept past this part of the village. Hassar, hope giving him some much needed strength, tries to rush both his wife and daughter to the horse. In doing so though he accidently brushes up against a weakened tent which collapses into itself. After the dust settles he looks back to see someone far on the other side. The man is looking in their direction and what Hassar sees makes him freeze in his steps. This man is large, wields an axe, and bares a black tattoo armband across his right shoulder and under his armpit. This man is a Taliver bandit.

The bandit sees them and raises his axe into the air. "Hey boys! Over here! We've got some runaways!" There is no doubt in Hassar's mind that even over the commotion other bandits have likely heard the call. The bandit then takes a step forward in the family's direction with a grin that holds absolutely no warmth, no purity of happiness. This grin holds nothing but malice and cruel pleasure in killing another for their valuables. Hassar takes this as a sign and frantically tries to run his family over to the horse. With that short burst of strength now gone, he almost isn't able to throw Lyndis onto the horse which is thrashing against the nail it's tied to. Lyndis sees the bandit nearing the fallen tent and works to calm the horse. She is able to control the horse just enough to allow Hassar to put Madelyn in front of her.

Lyndis sees that her mother is now unconscious and shakes her in an attempt to wake her. "Mother!" She looks to her father but his head is beginning to sink. Having done most of the work in getting his family to the horse he is too tired and too weak to get on himself. She begins to beg. "Father, hurry! Get on! Hurry!"

Hassar instead looks back to where the bandit is and sees the bandit jumping the tent. With how fast the bandit is going and with almost no strength left he knows he won't make it. He is able to at least unsheathe his sword. He looks into Lyndis' green eyes, _So much like her mother's_ he thinks, and with a sad face he says goodbye. "Be strong Lyndis. Take my sword and remember always that you are one of the Lorca." Hassar then shoves the horse's nail out while swinging around and digs his fist into the back side of the horse. The bandit arrives as this happens and raises his axe in order to swing.

Lyndis screams, thinking the bandit is going after Hassar. "NO! FATHER!"

The bandit, however, realizes his prey is getting away and is ignoring the weak and unarmed tribesman close to collapsing in front of him. He instead goes for the horse and swings for the two passengers.

Lyndis, like so many times this night, is powerless as she watches what happens next. The last thing she sees of her father is him practically falling in front of the bandit and taking the axe meant for her and her mother. The horse feels that it is free and quickly bolts away. Lyndis can do nothing but hold the horse's mane and onto her unconscious mother for dear life as the horse tears into the low rolling hills of the Sacae plains.

"Spirits. . .why. . ." The horse continues to gallop away from the village with Lyndis sobbing into her mother's back. Overwhelmed, she talks to the only things that might listen. "He was right there with us. . .why did he have to die? Why did you have to take him?!"

"Lyndis. . ."

Lyndis looks up and sees her mother twist her neck and try to turn to look at her. Madelyn's face had lost almost all of its natural color. Lyndis looks into her mother's weary eyes. "Mom?"

Madelyn can only whisper to her, "Lyndis. . .do not be afraid. . ."

Lyndis' stream of tears grows stronger as she sees that her mother is only just barely there. "Mother, please don't talk. You need to rest. Just rest, others are bound to find us. Just hold on, please."

"Lyndis. . .I'm sorry we can't be with you. . . It was just our time.. . .The spirits. . .they. . . they can't protect everyone. . .But you. . ."

"Mother please. . .please don't leave me alone. I don't want to be alone. Stay with me!" Madelyn's eyes begin to fade. "Mother!" Her eyes which had shown with such kindness and so brightly in better days are now turning dull. ". . .Please." Lyndis can barely keep her own eyes open. The day's events along with the poison are finally getting to her.

"The spirits. . .You will never be alone. . .There will always be someone . . .always someone to be . . . there. . .for you. . .Lyn. . ." Madelyn stops talking, too weak to even finish her daughter's name.

"MOTHER!"

Madelyn begins to part ways but she is still able to smile. It is a mother's last gift to her child. Unable to do anything else, she is forced to leave her beloved daughter in the hands of the unknown. Lyndis can only watch in horror as her mother leaves her for the spirits.

Madelyn's smile still remains though. This smile which used to have the power to make her daughter's tears evaporate and to make all the pain of her cuts recede now only served to make her eyes stream harder and the pain she feels to grow larger. As Lyndis loses consciousness and falls off into the plains with her father's sword, she knows this smile will be the last thing she ever sees of her mother. And of her father, the last sights will be that of him throwing himself onto an axe to protect those he cared for. A sad smile and a chance to live were the two final gifts of her beloved parents. And as a sick twist of fate, they were to become the only things her nightmares remembered for the months that came after.

Lyndis, the last child of the Lorca, was found unconscious in the surrounding plains by another tribe investigating the attack. After healing physically from her ordeal she decides to travel. She leaves to go wander the plains while swearing by her father's sword she will become strong and by her mother's smile that anyone who hurts those she cares for will suffer.

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**Author's Note (21/02/15):** Hello reader, this is the start of _With a Sword and a Smile_. This will (hopefully) be a full retelling of Lyn's story from Rekka no Ken, otherwise known as just Fire Emblem in the USA. Of course, you probably already knew that. I know that there are a ton of novelizations of Rekka no Ken but I hope that this opening at least peaks your interest. I've read a few of them but I don't recall any that I read ever dealing with the death of the Lorca tribe so I figured I'd try my hand there. Oh, just to mention, I'm using the Japanese ages for the characters. Why? Because of personal head-canon and no other reason.

Anyway, a tentative schedule will be one chapter every other week but then again I've never been good with deadlines I set myself. At least the next few chapters up to "Footsteps of Fate" have already been written. Next time we'll meet up with "a most unusual traveler." Until then.

_If you see something that might contradict "canon", let me know and I'll check it out. Any and all criticism is welcome._


	2. (ii) A Most Unusual Traveler

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken._ Any and all canon characters and settings are property of Intelligent Systems. I also do not claim anything non-canon that might appear.

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The Sacae plains were green once more and everywhere one went it was filled with the buzzing of insects. To Lyn, though, the green of the grass was a bit duller in the day and at night the insects' noises were no longer thought of as lullabies. Everything now just seemed to be a reminder and it was beginning to get to her a little too much. However, it still had only been a couple of months since the attack. After a few weeks recuperating with the tribe that rescued her, they were kind enough to give her a tent and supplies once she decided to travel the plains. Now in the middle of nowhere with no tribe or town she could call home, Lyn was completely alone for the first time in her life.

Every day was the same. She woke up just as the sun was rising, put on the garbs of the Lorca tribe, and secured her father's sword onto her belt. Every morning was spent walking around and swinging her father's sword in an attempt to tone her arms. She was still young and had never done much in the way of pure physical activity on account of her mother. On the other hand though, she still remembered everything about the lessons her father gave her when her mother wasn't looking. Early on in her exercises she would start to remember her life before the bandit raid. A smile somehow always snuck onto her face. It was caused by memories of better times. Times such as when her mother caught her and her father in the act of training. Ignoring the trouble this caused them, Lyn would still always ask to learn more and this fact gave Hassar endless joy and caused endless frustration for Madelyn.

The smiles, however, never lasted for very long. Any good memories only served to bring up the one event which forced her to live alone. She would become angry. As the day would wear on, the path she would clear became wider and more erratic. She would come back to the tent in the evening sore and in a bad mood. She would then eat the food she had gathered earlier in the day under the setting sun. As the sun would fade over the horizon, Lyn would undress and finally plop down onto a rug where, if she was lucky, the nightmares might have become a bit less intense.

Today had started out just like any other for Lyn and it would have continued that way if not for a small rabbit. She had just cut her exercises off early and was now trying to coax it out of its hole, but the rabbit was becoming increasingly annoying.

_The one day I find some meat I can catch and it disappears before I can get to it!_

Lyn lets out an annoyed sigh as she takes her knife from the belt she wears.

_I'm beginning to think this is that rabbit who just stared at me as it jumped over my sword yesterday. That rabbit was really good. The stupid - Thing - Is probably digging - Another - Hole - To get out._

Lyn stops stabbing the ground and listens for any movement. Hearing nothing and hoping she finally killed it she puts her hand through the holes she's made. Hole after hole she feels nothing and Lyn starts to worry if her meal got away.

"Ow!"

Lyn lets out a small yelp and quickly realizes her meal is still there and that it's a bit too alive for her tastes. She jerks her hand back and looks at her fingers to see that a small bite is noticeable.

_I missed! _

Before she can dig her knife into the ground again, she notices a small head pop out a meter or two away. The rabbit notices Lyn with her frustrated stare directed straight at it and does what almost any other prey does when faced with an angry predator who has indecent thoughts on the mind. The rabbit turns and runs away as fast as possible. Lyn isn't about to go hungry though and is well in tow.

_You aren't getting away that easily._

Even through the brush, Lyn is still able to follow the rabbit. Following its little, white tail, she stalks it with the motivation of a much needed meal in mind. The rabbit runs into a small clearing where Lyn had evidently already been and suddenly stops. It straightens its back and perks its ears. It seemingly accepts the idea of being dinner and Lyn is more than willing to oblige. Lyn readies her knife.

_Thanks for stopping. Now I have a clear shot._

A strong wind suddenly starts to pick up but it only registers in Lyn's now focused mind as a reason to adjust her aim. Throwing her knife, Lyn lets it sail towards the rabbit. Even with only weeks of experience Lyn manages to hit the rabbit due to its unnatural stillness. As Lyn reaches the rabbit and takes the knife out of its head she notices the rabbit's hair moving. She finally begins to feel how the harsh wind is and looks up to notice the grass heaving violently. Just before Lyn can begin worrying about the weather, the wind suddenly stops and leaves the grass as it was before. Lyn quickly realizes that such a short gust couldn't have been natural.

_Sacaen winds are never that strong and they usually last all day_._ And not even Huey's wings-_

Her thoughts are cut short as something alien forces itself into her mind. She starts to feel a great, unknown pain as the presence grows stronger.

_What is this. . .But I'm not hurt. . .A rabbit bite shouldn't. . hurt so. . .bad._

Lyn almost doubles over but just as nearly as it came, the pain disappears. Lyn stands back up and tries to think about what happened but still feels the presence in her head causing her to pause.

_Why do I feel as if I'm not alone?_

_**Help . . .me. . .**_

"That wasn't me!"Lyn cries out in surprise and nearly trips onto her back, but she soon comes to her senses. The presence she was feeling had started to weaken but she knows whatever it was that it had called out to her. _"_Who's there? Where are you?!"

_**Some sort of. . .burrow. . .behind you. . .**_

After the presence stops giving Lyn its thoughts, it fades away leaving Lyn's mind. _Behind me? That's the rabbit hole I was just at. But nothing else was there! . . . Right? _

Curious and a bit worried for whoever or whatever it was, she whirls around looking for the path from where she came crashing. She puts her knife back into her belt and takes her sword out. She takes a calming breath and begins to run back into the uncut brush.

_What was that and what did it come from? A spirit? No, they don't have physical bodies right? No, of course not. All the stories say they don't so that means they can't feel pain. And from what I felt, whatever it is, it is in a lot of it_. _I just hope I can get to it in time and that it's nothing dangerous. _ _But if it's dangerous. . .what if it's a bad spirit and it's wanting me to think that? Didn't mother tell me a story one time in which a spirit played music to take a town's children away? I wish I could remember it.. . .oh no am I forgetting everything already? Please no!_

Lyn's wagon of thought quickly goes downhill from there. Now completely consumed in her personal fears and utterly confused as to what was happening, Lyn stops paying attention to where she's going. She suddenly finds her foot catching something and she is allowed a short glimpse of her foot getting stuck into the rabbit's escape hole. Lyn flies through the air screaming and falls face first into the dirt mounds she had created just a little while ago.

_Get a hold of yourself Lyn. I didn't hunt rabbit just so I could eat dirt. . .The dirt is a bit softer than I would have thought though. Almost feels like cloth._

Lyn lifts her aching head and finds out that the soft dirt was actually her robe that had flipped up over her face. She throws it back over and then suddenly finds herself face to face with someone else.

"Ah!"

Lyn scrambles back and lifts her sword in front of her to defend but immediately finds out that it was unnecessary. The person's eyes are closed and their body unmoving. There's also no sign of any type of weapon. Looking closer she realizes it's a young man in an elegantly made but tattered robe colored in black, gold, and purple. It has a hood that covers much of his face but Lyn can see that some of the man's matted blue hair falls over his eyes. The more interesting fact is that he appears to be soaking wet. Lyn credits it to a nearby stream. She moves closer and notices that the man doesn't appear to be breathing normally.

_Is this who it was? But how could a man be able to push thoughts into another's mind?_

The man barely moves while letting out a pained gasp. "He. . .hel. . ." Lyn's curiosity is quickly crushed and replaced with worry. Stifling her embarrassment, she checks for wounds and takes a short look to see if there are any outward signs of disease on his skin. The only things she finds though are dirt smudges and a few bruises.

_He must have just collapsed here. It doesn't look as if he has anything else._

She guesses that the cause of his ailment may be severe dehydration and quickly takes out her small water bladder. She holds it to the man's mouth but the man doesn't drink. His body is completely limp and Lyn assumes he must have fallen unconscious. She forces his head up and, hoping he doesn't choke on it, squeezes some water into his mouth. He doesn't start to choke and instead swallows the water. After giving him all of the water she had, Lyn tries to think of what she could do.

_Ok, ok, ok. Unconscious man in the middle of nowhere who obviously needs help. Can't let him die. __**Can't let him die.**__ Uhh. . .my tent shouldn't be too far off if that clearing was any indication. I'm not strong enough to carry him . . . Would it be safe to drag him there? Maybe? Ahhhh! I'm going to have to try!_

Lyn is able to get a good hold of the limp body and starts the journey back to her tent. She drags the man's body through the brush and into the relatively cleared pathway where she lays the dead rabbit onto his chest.

_I probably shouldn't do this but I'm really going to need something to eat after dragging this guy back with me._

Lyn finds out that she's actually a fair distance away and after a few hours of dragging the man a bit, taking breaks, and gathering more food along the way, Lyn arrives at her tent near sunset. She's almost too tired to even push through the flaps and nearly drops onto the rug before realizing her newfound charge needs it more. She then starts to lay down on the grass. She hears a loud growl before she can go to sleep though and jumps up. It's quiet for a few seconds but then it happens again. It's her stomach.

_Did I really forget to eat something? I haven't eaten anything the entire day!_

Lyn finally remembers the rabbit. She takes it off of the man and moves ever more sluggishly outside to begin cooking. Lyn looks up into the darkening sky and allows her mind to wander.

_What have I gotten myself into? Will I really be able to help this man and keep myself alive at the same time? Where did he even come from? . . . and the presence that I felt . . . the wind too . . . none of this makes any sense._

It doesn't really matter to Lyn though. She now has a purpose in keeping the man alive and having a purpose sometimes makes all the difference. She falls sound asleep on the other side of the tent letting the cool breeze of the night tuck her in. Exhausted both mentally and physically but now having gained a focus, she has the best night's sleep she's had in the past couple of months. No swords, no smiles, Lyn only has thoughts of survival and faint images of a most unusual traveler.

* * *

_**Authors Note (28/02/15): Hello readers, as you can probably guess we now have our tactician! Well, maybe not completely yet. He's sort of under the weather right now, so to speak. And with this, the prologue is done. **__**It was a short chapter again but the next one will be a bit longer. Hopefully I haven't lost you yet. I'll admit the summary narration in the beginning might have been too much and I'm sorry to say that it might be a recurring thing for the rare chapter. **__**Next chapter though we'll finally get to meet the traveler and find out a little about him! Until then.**_

_**PSA: So while writing the chapter I was curious to know how safe giving water or food to an unconscious person is. As I expected, it's not safe at all. So please don't actually give anyone who's unconscious anything to drink or eat. It's more than likely to cause choking or drowning than it is to go down into their stomachs. Something to do with the airway being open by default, closing off the esophagus.**_

_**Dialogue: There's going to be three forms of communication so I thought I'd list them. I'm only doing this so it'll be perfectly clear.**_

" "_** (quotation) : Talking or verbal communication. The obvious one, nothing that needs explaining.**_

_un-bolded italics_** : _Thoughts. This will be used to show what a person is literally thinking._**

**_bolded italics_: _Hoho, I won't be explaining this until the next chapter! You already know what it means though since I almost but not quite say it._**

_As always, any and all criticism is welcome._


	3. A Girl on the Plains (I)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken._ Any and all canon characters and settings are property of Intelligent Systems. I also do not claim anything non-canon that might appear.

* * *

It had been a few of days since Lyn had found the weakened traveler and she had started to worry. He didn't seem to be dying, and in fact his breathing and pulse had seemed to be back to normal the morning after Lyn found him. He still showed no signs of waking up though and Lyn was too afraid to give him any more food or water because of a choking accident. She thought it wouldn't have been so bad if she knew what to do. She couldn't remember of any such accidents happening with the Lorca, and even though she had been on the plains less than half a year, it was more than enough time to know the reason why. An inexperienced traveler on the plains alone and without any supplies was practically a walking death sentence.

After finding him she had changed her routine quite a bit. Her exercises were cut much shorter, the plains no longer fell victim to her blade. Grains were the only things she gathered in any quantity as she no longer felt comfortable taking the time to hunt. Every hour or so she always went back to check if the man had woken up. Each time she came in to see him lying still and breathing calmly. For three nights she slept on the grass, for three nights the thought of her help being useless grew. On the third night, her mind had even seen rise to a new nightmare. A figure cloaked in a tattered black and gold robe stood in the middle of the plains. Surrounded by fire and hounded by screams, Lyn was standing there as well. The figure lifted his hand and pointed at her. A voice rang out above it all, seemingly coming from nowhere. "Why can't you help me? Are you still so helpless? Are you still so _**weak**_**?**"

On the morning of the fourth day after finding him, Lyn almost gives up hope. She wakes up in a cold sweat and resigns herself to the fact that, once more, she can't do anything. The only way the man would survive was if he woke up and with each hour that passes, the possibility becomes increasingly less likely. She can barely force herself to get up but her own hunger gives her the motivation needed to move. She looks over to the robed man still lying still on the rug and moves over to him to see if there was any change.

_He's still breathing, that's good. How much longer will he last though? Will I come back only to find a corpse?_ Lyn closes her eyes and forces the thoughts from her head. _Enough with this. I'll get something to eat and then leave._

Lyn walks around the man, grabs a bowl and a cup, and fills them with some grain and water. She's finishing up her poor-nomad's diet when she hears something moan. Turning around in a flash she sees the young man struggling to get up. Adrenaline immediately shoots through her and she flies over to a chest to put her food down. Before she is able to turn back around, Lyn's patient is able to groan out a soft, "Where am I?"

Lyn turns around to face him and gets a good look to see how he is doing. The young man was able to sit up and is looking at her. He has silver eyes to go along with the blue hair. The hair looks even more matted than she thought and it's likely it would cover his eyes if it was not a tangled mess. His face is unnaturally thin. Lyn hazards a guess that even before she found him he hadn't eaten much. Filled out, Lyn thinks his face would likely look like a round block. She also realizes that if he stood up he would surely be almost a full head taller than her. Quickly shaking her head, she realizes that looking at him won't be of any help.

"Are you awake?" Lyn blurts out with a smile.

"Yeah. . .can you tell me where I am? And who are you?" The man asks while trying to stand up. He is too weak though and only winds up sitting back down.

"Don't move please! You shouldn't spend your energy. I found you unconscious on the plains. It's been a few days and you haven't had nearly anything to eat or drink in the mean time."

Lyn grabs her cup and rushes over to her water skin to fill it. She gives it to the man, practically shoving it into his hands. After that she doesn't wait for him to finish drinking and grabs the bowl which still had some food left in it. Giving that to him she takes the cup, refills it, and then nearly forces it into his hands before stopping when he moves his hands back.

"Uh. . .but I am not finished with the. . . what is this?" The man stares quizzically into the watery slop which he is half eating and half drinking.

She lays the cup down. She stops and takes a few breaths to try to calm down but then remembers that the stranger had asked her a question. Judging by his blank stare he was hoping for an answer too.

"Oh, sorry!" Lyn says, not having calmed down in the slightest. "I uh. . .I mean it's. . .it's cereal! . . .Sort of. It's grains I gathered with water poured in. I know it's not much but I haven't really had time to hunt and-" Lyn's fast talking is interrupted by the man's chuckles.

"Hold on. Slow down please, I can barely keep up with what you are saying." The man says. He's able to bring his chuckle down to a snicker, and then ends it with a grimace. "Ah."

Lyn starts to move closer but the man holds his left hand out to stop her. Something on the hand catches Lyn's attention. On the palm is a weird symbol that looks as if the skin had been dyed a pale blue. Lyn can't really make out what it is but it looks like some sort of weird tear drop. The man sees Lyn's curiosity and closes his palm quickly.

Lyn stands there for a second unsure of what to say. "Um. . .sorry but. . .uh. . .who are you? Why are you here in the middle of the Sacae plains?"

The man's face flashes confusion before going back to its apparent default state of a small smirk.

"Now, now, but I thought I had asked who you were first? After all, how can I properly thank the person who has apparently saved my life if I don't know her name?" The man's smirk deepens into an actual smile when he sees Lyn's look down and her face redden.

Lyn finally manages to gather her wits to answer. "I am Lyn of the Lorca tribe." She sees his face go blank and decides to hastily add, "You are safe now."

"Lorca tribe?" He looks to the side, his brow now scrunched up in thought and his mouth forced into a small pout.

"Don't bother!" Lyn says, a bit too hastily. "I. . .uh. . ." Lyn mumbles, trying to think of a way to change the subject. "I'm sure you're a bit confused. I can't tell you much but you probably want to know how you got here. Let me give you the cup and I'll tell you." Lyn hands him the cup and after that she sits down in front of him and recounts how she found him. She starts with the weird voice and how it told her where he was. The man listened intently, his expression never changing from its slightly smirking state. Finally, she finished with how she put him down on the rug. Lyn looks at him and then meets his smirk with her own. "So, I believe it's my turn now. Who are you?"

The man's expression changes to a blank state. "Hmm. . ." He remains quiet for a few seconds.

Lyn's smile turns to a worried frown. "Can you remember your name?"

The man finally smiles, putting Lyn at ease. "My name is Mark. I am not of any tribe though."

Lyn adds her own smile. "Mark?" Lyn tilts her head a little. "What an odd-sounding name." Her face then immediately blanches when she realizes what she said. She quickly back petals. "But pay me no mind. It is a good name." This only serves to make Mark's smile widen, enough to show his teeth. Lyn's face turns to the opposite extreme and she looks down, embarrassed.

Mark lets out a laugh. "It is ok. I have had people who I consider close say that I was weird too. Now then, I don't believe I have actually thanked you yet." Mark's smile softens and he moves around to face Lyn directly. "I know that it must have been difficult to look after me. Living in the middle of the plains with an extra mouth to feed was difficult I am sure. For that I thank you."

Lyn looks up and smiles as well. "You are welcome. I just wanted to help. I didn't think it right to leave someone to die in the middle of the plains." With that Lyn's smile disappears and she lowers her head. She picks it up though and eyes Mark's robes. "I see that by your attire you are a traveler. What brings you to the Sacae plains? Would you share your story with me?"

Mark shuffles around. "Well. . .uh. . .heh." He starts to rub the palm of his hand. "You see I. . ." Mark's poor start to his explanation is interrupted by a distant noise. He looks out through the flaps of the tent. It happens again and it is loud enough this time to gain Lyn's attention.

"Hm? What was that noise?"

Mark sits straight up and closes his eyes. His breathing slows. "I do not know. It sounded like it might have been shouting."

Lyn stands up and moves toward the opening. "I'll go see what's happening. Mark, wait here for me."

Mark's eyes shoot open and he tries to get up. "No wait! Hold on!" His objections are too late though. Lyn has already left the tent and she continues to move toward the noise. Mark sighs but then relaxes with a smile. "She will be fine, seems smart enough . . . Still, I would have liked to help." Struggling, Mark is able to stand, but only barely. He lets out a laugh. "Haha, like I could have. I am still too weak to move easily. I guess I have no choice but to sit and watch anyway." Mark sits back down on the rug. He closes his eyes, relaxes, and then his consciousness fades out and away.

_**Now then. To find out who these guys are.**_

* * *

Lyn makes her way through the grass towards what can now be recognized as two distinct sounds. As she nears the source she realizes Mark was right. It is shouting and getting closer she can begin to recognize what they are saying.

"I'm tellin' ya, Batta said tah meet up with 'im or 'e'd cleave our 'eads in two!"

"And I'm tellin' _**you**_ that he wouldn't mind a little cut away if we brought him some nice little trinkets and stuff."

" 'ow do ya know that there'd be someone around 'ere?"

"Look around you! Grass cut. Grass trampled. That dug up place a bit back. There's someone here I tell you! And when has my gut ever lead us wrong?"

Lyn's breathing is almost dead still. She's so focused in listening in that she doesn't even notice a strange presence enter her mind.

_Who are these two? From what they're talking about they could almost be. . ._

"Ya'r gut almost lead us dead into a river! Ya'r gut made us get lost fer four days! And ya'r gut 'asn't lead us to any loot! Heck! The last time we made a raid I see ya 'ang back and snack on the food! Batta says ya'd be the worst bandit 'cept fer. . .uh. . ."

". . .You?"

"NO!"

Lyn eyes go wide and she has to suppress a gasp. _Oh, no! Bandits! They must have come down from the Bern mountains. They must be planning on raiding the local villages. _She balls her hands into fists._ I. . .I have to stop them!_

_**It is not that I don't admire your determination but . . . I think you are a little unprepared to face them. After all, you sort of left your sword back here.**_

Lyn's head snaps back behind her to see nothing. She looks to her left. Nothing. To her right she sees! . . . Grass.

_**Why are you looking around? I am not there. I am back at the tent, remember?**_

Lyn proceeds to stare into space for a good few moments. _**. . . **__Mark? But how-_

Lyn starts to think she's going crazy when she hears laughter in her head but the voice comes back.

_**Haha. Right, I never actually told you that that voice was me . . . heh, sorry. No, you are not going crazy.**_

_How are you able to do this?!_

_**Sorry, now is not the time to explain. Bandits and what not, yes? I need you to stay where you are though. They are bickering right now but they might let slip something useful. I will leave your mind now and I am sorry to have intruded. I doubt the two brutes would notice me inside theirs anyway.**_

The weird presence that must have been Mark leaves and Lyn takes a breath. _What just happened?_ Hearing the two bandits continuing to yell at each other brings her back to reality though. Remembering that Mark said to stay put, she does. She slows her breathing again and goes back to listening.

"That was a month ago! Surely that means nothin' now!"

"Nothin'! NOTHIN'! 'Avin' my face nearly takin' off by ya'r axe means a great deal! What would Batta 'ave said when one of 'is own kills another of 'is own?"

"Batta would have said ' Batta the Beast can't have anyone goofin' off. Get back to work!' "

"No 'e wouldn't 'ave! . . . Ok, yeah 'e would have but-"

"Ah, quit your whinin'. We need to get back to the point. We're supposed to be meetin' up with Batta, yeah?"

"Yeah. . ."

"Now, since you're too chicken to take a little detour, where are we supposed to be goin' ?"

"Uhh. . .Batta said that we'd be 'elpin' 'im raid a little 'ut about two days east from the river."

". . .That river we passed about three days ago?"

". . .Yeah."

". . .Well, Spirit-spit."

With that the two bandits quit talking and Lyn could hear the grass rustling as they departed. Once she couldn't hear them anymore she darted back to the tent. Rushing inside she started to gather supplies. She swiftly puts on her sword-belt, tosses a few vulneraries into a satchel and then nearly leaves the tent before a hand grabs her arm.

"Ah!" Lyn nearly takes her sword out before she remembers that she had left Mark and then proceeded to ignore him while she rushed.

"Where are you going?" Mark asks her with a seemingly innocent smile.

"To deal with those bandits! Let me go!" Lyn pulls her arm but Mark's grip is too strong. "Grr. . .what happened to you being too weak to even stand!"

"I took a sip of one of your vulneraries." Mark proceeds to slowly stand up. "They work well enough to heal flesh wounds so I figured that some of one would be perfect for my condition."

Lyn blankly stares at Mark. "You drank a vulnerary?"

"Yeah, isn't that how you are supposed to use them?" Mark then stops and thinks for a second. "Wait, it was a bit too thick for an easy drink. . .the vulneraries you have are salves aren't they?"

Lyn idly nods.

Mark just shrugs as if what he did was completely usual.

"That would explain the weird taste then. Oh well, it still worked. Anyway, I do believe it would be better if you thought this through. Can you really take these guys on?"

Lyn's look of disbelief only continues. "There's only two. If that's all of them, I think I can handle them on my own."

"But there is _**not**_ only two."

Mark's smirk disappears and his face becomes serious. Nothing resembling as smile was to be found, his eyes were now completely focused, and his mouth is set into a slight frown. His general demeanor had apparently done a one-eighty as Lyn now looks at who she thought appeared to be a fairly upbeat individual. Mark ignores Lyn's growing fear as he continues to explain, "They were talking about someone named Batta. That makes three. This is also a group of bandits and though the average bandit may be dense, they usually make up for in numbers what they lack in brains. Their leader also has a nickname, the Beast, so he will likely have more experience than your average bandit to boot."

Lyn shakes her head and scoffs, "That or he's just way too full of himself."

Mark waves her skepticism away. "Either way, that means a group of _**at least**_ three bandits, likely more, with a leader who is possibly a bit more experienced and aggressive than most. You could easily make a mistake and wind up with an axe in your gut and, without actually thinking, you can easily get hurt. Now _**think**_, are you really sure you can deal with them? "

Mark stops and lets Lyn mull it over. Lyn stands still and begins to look like she's wavering. She closes her eyes. Her thoughts fly from one reasoning to another but none really convince her that she can do it. Finally her thoughts land at the images of the nightmare she had. _Are you still so helpless? Are you still so __**weak**__?_ With that she opens her eyes. In the place of what used to be soft green eyes were now jaded spheres. Lyn snaps her arm out of Mark's grasp and then stares him down.

"I have to. These bandits are going to be raiding someone's ger! I can't stand by and do nothing! This is why I've trained so hard these past months. I can't let them get away with this . . . I . . ."

Lyn looks down and takes a breath. Her eyes are soft once more.

". . . I can't let people like them hurt anyone else . . ."

Lyn turns around and begins to walk toward the flap of the tent before stopping and turning back around.

"This is something I just have to do. You can stay and rest in the tent. You'll be safe in here, Mark."

With that she turns around and opens the flaps.

"Wait, let me come with you!"

Lyn stops and turns back to face Mark, confused. "What?"

Lyn sees that Mark is once again smiling. "You really think I would let you do these heroics on your own? I want to help. If you would let me of course."

Lyn turns around fully. She waits a few moments before asking, "You want to help? Well, can you use a weapon?"

Mark rubs his palm with a nervous look. "Well . . . no . . . I am not completely well at the moment and . . ." Mark looks around and then looks back at Lyn with a crooked smile. "And there also does not appear to be any other weapons to begin with. Besides, I am training to be the best tactician there is and this is a perfect opportunity to help someone in that area."

"Ah, I see. . ."

Lyn looks down a little deflated which causes Mark's smile to falter some.

"So you're a strategist by trade? An odd profession. . ."

Lyn turns back toward the tent flaps and looks down.

_I can't take him with me. He wants to help, and I am grateful, but why would I need a strategist? _

_ "_ But. . ."

_Then again, his power. . .he can apparently see through distances and enter people's minds. He was able to listen in on the bandits' conversation while he was still inside my tent . . . and as a . . . Was it tactician? . . . He should be able to help me create a plan to deal with them. _

Lyn lets out a sigh and then walks back in towards Mark.

"Very well. We'll go together."

Mark immediately perks up with a goofy smile replacing the crooked one. "Excellent! Now then, we should gather a few supplies before going. Especially these vulneraries." Mark holds up a satchel that holds a few turquoise tinted bottles. "You sort of left them on the ground in your haste."

Lyn's face pales a little as she realizes she was going to face a group of bandits while taking nothing but her sword. Even if she had reservations about bringing him along, she quickly understands why a job where one was mainly required to think for others would be important.

"Uh. . .Right. . ."

* * *

_**Author's Notes (7/03/15):**** Hello readers, and welcome back to Whose Line ~*khhzzz*~ Sorry, technical difficulties. Anyway, another week another chapter! At least as long as this small buffer holds up . . . We finally get to know a little more about the tactician as well as his name, Mark. Lyn, as a proud tribes girl, wants to head in as soon as possible but thankfully Mark's able to reel her in a tad bit. He won't be able to reel her in all the way but then again he's not wanting to here. **_

_**Also, "Oh no! Lyn's hearing voices! Does our protagonist need to be sent to an asylum?" Thankfully not. As could be inferred from last chapter, this is Mark's"unusual ability" from the story summary. You'll see more next week but it's not just a form of telepathic language communication. It has other uses. So going again from last week, bolded italics in the story will from now on be used to denote Mark's form of telepathy. This will be used mainly in conjunction with normal italics. **_

_**As a side note, at the start I had wanted Mark's name to be Marc. It's such a late change that the summary still has it as the latter at the moment! I instead decided to use the 'k' instead of 'c'. Not much of a change at all, but I decided the reasoning behind the former wasn't reasoning enough. I think his "tattoo" should be a good hint anyway. If you understand what that hint is alluding to, no it won't affect the story much if at all. Honestly, it was just a simple way to come up with an excuse as to why (in the future so jump to the end if you don't want ****WARNING: **_**SPOILERS**_******) _Ok, clear?_ why he will be able to use a sword and magic with skill in future chapters. He won't be able to do it right off the back because he's obviously unwell at the moment.**_

_**So, that's the end of my ranting! Until next time, cheers! *raises vulnerary and downs it***_

_**...**_

_***nearly gags***_

_***spits it out***_

_**Blech, that's awful. And that was the drink version too!**_


	4. A Girl on the Plains (II)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken._ Any and all canon characters and settings are property of Intelligent Systems. I also do not claim anything non-canon that might appear.

* * *

Lyn and Mark had set out soon after to follow the bandits. Following them thankfully wasn't hard. Their heavy footmarks left a decent path and coupled with Mark's ability, the strange duo were not in any trouble of losing the bandits. They had to move slowly due to Mark using his power but they kept on their trail until a little after dusk when Lyn has them both stop.

"Over here! I think I saw them go over this hill." Lyn whispers.

At the foot of the hill Mark motions for them both to kneel. Mark closes his eyes and is quiet for a moment but then answers, "You are right. They are just over this hill."

Lyn puts her hand over the pommel of her sword. Kneeling just beside Mark she squints at the hill as if she could also see through it. "How far are they from us?"

"From the top of the hill they should not be but a few hundred meters."

He sits down and relaxes. After a little bit Lyn feels his presence enter her mind. _**It feels as if they are setting up camp. They are a right lousy group of bandits to set up in such an open area but that will just make it easier for us.**_ With that, Mark leaves and his body begins to move.

Lyn looks over at Mark. "If you want to help, Mark, I could really use your advice. What should we do?"

"We'll follow them until right before they meet up with the rest of their group. We'll ambush them then."

Lyn shakes her head. "That would take too much time. We should deal with them here and now."

"But we do not know where their leader is, " Mark counters, "and we also do not know where they are supposed to strike. We only know it is supposed to be two days east from a river and that would still mean way too much area to cover."

"I know who they're going to attack. The only group of people that would be nearby is a small family who were kind enough to help me with some food a while back. If I remember correctly, they should be a few leagues North West of where my hut is. We don't need to know anything else from these two bandits. We should deal with them now."

Mark thinks a little bit and winces. He softly gives his suggestion, "We should still wait until they're asleep. It will make dealing with them trivial."

Lyn's eyes widen. "You're suggesting I slit their throats?"

Mark shuffles around but eventually turns to look at Lyn. "It is not the fair thing to do I admit. And it is unethical, maybe even for bandits. . ." Mark looks away for a second but then turns back. "But it will either be that or you fight them while they're wide awake. An ambush tactic might work with all of this tall grass but I would prefer to do things that will keep you as safe as possible."

Lyn looks down, not comfortable with such a decision. "I. . ." Lyn closes her eyes and memories of a red day pass through her mind. "You're right. I may not like it but it is the best option." Lyn opens her eyes again and Mark notices that they have hardened once more. "And besides, they're bandits. They need to be stopped." Lyn looks over to Mark. "How long do you think it will take until they fall asleep?"

Mark closes his eyes and Lyn hears him snicker but after a while he gives his reply. "Maybe a few hours. They seem to be having an arm wrestling match. You can rest for a while and I will tell you when they are asleep."

"A few hours?" Mark looks over to Lyn whose focus is once more past the hill. She has a pained look over her face. "No. We can't wait that long."

"Why not?"

"They're trying to regroup with their leader who has planned a raid. For all we know he might have already done it, but we still have to deal with these two as soon as possible. The less time we take with these two means the less time the other bandit has to get away."

"So waiting even a few hours is-"

"Too much."

"Hmm. . ." Mark rubs his palm. He looks around and then towards the sky. It is a rare cloudy night so the stars are completely obscured. "It is actually quite dark out. Without the moon or stars and being slightly blinded by the fire, they shouldn't be able to see anything at a distance. The fire they made might light up the nearby area but all of the grass should still be good cover. If we can quietly sneak up on them, surprise should allow you to take out one but that leaves-"

Lyn cuts him off, "I can deal with the one left over."

Mark looks Lyn over and then gives his smirk. "Very well. Let us start moving then." As they start to climb the hill Mark's smirk disappears. "Remember though, stealth here is key. I'm going to be in your mind for this so once at the top of the hill _**think**_, don't talk."

"Ok." Lyn smiles. "What you're able to do is amazing. You have to tell me what it is you are actually doing."

Mark gives a small chuckle. "Maybe after this whole escapade is over. Be warned though, it takes up almost all of my focus. I will not be able to help you besides giving you information as well as moving if I get in your way."

"It's ok. I'll protect you, so stay close to me."

Mark tilts his head and quips, "If I am the one leading, would that not mean _you_ would have to stay close to _me_?"

"Uh . . . oh hush . . ."

Mark's snickering is their last form of noise as the two stop talking. They reach the top of the hill and pause for a moment to get a look at the bandits' temporary camp. Mark's observations were right and only a little ways off from there they could see a small fire burning. Shadows bouncing around gave away the existence of the bandits. After a small rest Mark closes his eyes and Lyn feels his presence.

_**Ok. It is time to start. **_

The two begin their slow descent down the hill. Moving silently through the grass towards her prey, Lyn can't help but rub the pommel of her sword. _My father's sword. How just in that this will be how I use it first._ Mark has them stop a couple of times when he thinks they might be in danger of being noticed but they eventually get near enough to hear the two bandits' arguing. They speak of past hits and which one of them had stolen the most. Lyn grips her sword and starts to inch closer but Mark tugs at the sleeves of Lyn's robe.

_I need to be closer to them._

_**I know, but wait a second and listen. They are both facing towards the hill. We should move behind them. **_

Lyn grinds her teeth a little.

_The bandits are right there! Why can't I just take them?_

_**You brought me along to give you advice so here is my advice. Attacking them from the front will end in you getting hurt.**_

Lyn sighs and gives in. She gives only a slight nod and then follows Mark as he maneuvers back around the fire. Once the direction is chosen, Mark motions Lyn to move closer but stops her a few meters away from the bandits' clearing.

_**I think they are beginning to hear us so I'm staying here. Do you think you can take them from here?**_

From where the two are Lyn can barely see through the grass into the small clearing. The bandits continue to argue but one of the bandits has moved across from the other and is facing towards Lyn. This doesn't deter her at all, however, and she looks back to Mark with determination.

_Yes, this should be close enough._

_**Best of luck. **_

Lyn thinks she can see the smallest traces of a smile across Mark's face.

_**Although I'm sure you'll do fine. **_

Lyn smiles in return but then steels herself. She hangs her head down, sending a prayer to the spirits. _Father, grant me your skill. _She pulls her sword out as quietly as possible but she must have made too much noise. Everything goes quiet as the bandits quickly stop talking. _Oh no. I was hoping that they would keep talking to each other._

"Did you hear that?" The bandit on the far side says, as he looks around.

Lyn holds her breath. What feels like minutes pass by before the closest bandit relaxes.

". . .It must 'ave been a rat. Now then, as I was sayin', ya just can't-"

_It's now or never. _

Lyn begins to move forward but the noise of her stepping across the grass alerts the farthest bandit. Lyn see him squint and then his eyes shoot wide.

_Uh-oh! That bandit's spotted me!_

_**You can still surprise the nearest one!**_

The bandit gets up and looks around. "Where's my axe!"

_He's coming this way!_

_**Attack!**_

Lyn charges forth, sword in her hands ready to lunge. The confused bandit nearest to her turns around to finally notice the tribe girl running at him with a sword. By that time though it is already too late. Lyn's sword plunges through the bandit's chest, straight through the heart.

"You will pay for that!"

Lyn quickly looks to the other bandit who has now found his axe. The bandit charges forward already swinging. Pulling at the sword, she barely wrenches it out in time before the bandit's axe takes her head. Lyn falls back as the axe flies by her but she manages to keep her footing. Ignoring the pain now shooting through her, she steps back and brings her sword to ready. She begins to circle the clearing, performing a deadly ritual alongside the bandit.

_I have to close in to attack. . .but the bandit might just block and then I would be wide open!_

"You wench! I'll gut you!"

The bandit leaps forward cutting off Lyn's thoughts. His axe sails down to cleave Lyn's head from her neck but she is able to gracefully jump to the side. The bandit's axe misses and digs into the dirt.

"Spirit-spit!" The bandit curses and starts pulling at his axe. His strike had too much strength too it and he's having to put in more effort to get it out of the dirt. Lyn won't give him the time though.

_Now, strike!_

With such a clear opportunity, Lyn is easily able to bring her sword around and swings it at the bandit. The bandit is able to get his axe out of the ground but turns around just as the sword appears in his sight. The sharp edge smashes into his face, cutting deep into his skull and killing him instantly. The bandit's body stands still for a second or two before it tilts over and falls in front of Lyn.

"Father's sword!"

Lyn jumps back trying to pull the sword out from the bandit's head but pain once more shoots through her. Not able to keep her grip she lets go of the sword. The body hits the dirt and the blade is driven deeper in.

"No!"

Lyn desperately digs her heels in and pulls but the sword won't budge. Ignoring the pain coming from her left arm she continues to fight with it.

"Lyn. . ."

Mark appears out of the grass behind her but Lyn continues to struggle with the sword.

"Lyn."

Lyn is too focused on her gruesome task to notice Mark getting closer.

"LYN!"

Mark softly grabs her and spins her around.

"Mark?" Lyn blinks. Her eyes are no longer hard and instead are beginning to tear. Lyn is so fixated with her father's sword that she has completely forgotten about the bandits and is half way out of her mind to begin with. Mark realizes that she probably doesn't even realize that the bandit's axe had cut her down the arm. Lyn, meanwhile, looks at the body that her father's sword is resting in. She points at the dead bandit at her feet and desperately pleads with Mark. "Please, my father's sword! I need to get it out!"

Mark slowly turns her back around and softly says, "Your father's sword isn't going anywhere. You need to rest. Here, just sit down over here."

Mark hurriedly leads her over to the side and away from the bodies of the two bandits. He lightly lays her down and then quickly starts to dig through a satchel.

Lyn stares into the distance, fatigue spreading through her now that the quick fight was over. With her mind temporarily blank, it takes a bit longer for the realization that she just took on and killed two bandits to finally dawn on her.

She gives a weak proclamation of "Victory."

She then jerks as pain shoots through her again. She looks down and finally notices that her left arm has a gash across it and that her blood has started to soak her robes.

"But I've been injured. I have need of a vulnerary. . ."

"I already have that for you."

Mark sits down next to her with a vulnerary already in hand. He begins to spread the salve over his hand and then moves over to Lyn's arm.

"This will sting but once it starts to work your arm will be like it never took a hit."

Lyn grimaces as Mark covers the wound with the vulnerary.

"Please tell me it won't take too long. . ." The pain in Lyn's arm begins to recede, instead being replaced by a cold, tingling sensation. She shivers. Mark covers the whole wound and then closes the vulnerary. While placing it back into the satchel, Mark gives a thoughtful expression.

"I'm not really sure with this type. However, bad ones I have used generally took about a full week to heal a wound like yours. I think you have a really good quality one though. It will probably take. . ." Mark stops to think more while he closes the satchel. He takes one of Lyn's knives and begins to answer but stops when he looks over to see that the two bandits are shirtless. He hesitates and frowns for a moment but after looking at Lyn he quickly squashes any feelings and cuts some strips of cloth from his already tattered robes. Moving back to Lyn he looks at her wound and then wraps it. He's startled as Lyn's arm jerks once the cloth touches the wound but he slowly finishes the job. With the remaining strands he is able to create a makeshift sling for her arm. When he is finished, Mark looks over everything and then finally answers, "I say it might take about a two or three days to fully heal."

"Days!?" Lyn starts to get up but Mark quickly stops her. Lyn is too weak to fight back and she lies back. Her arm had already stopped bleeding and the salve continues to work its wonders but he makes sure to have her lay on her right and uninjured side. "We don't even have a day. There's another bandit that we need to take care of! He's probably already at the ger. . ."

Mark smiles. "A ger? What's that?" Mark asks Lyn as he moves over to the bandit who still has Lyn's sword stuck in his face.

"Oh? You don't know what a ger is?" Lyn is too out of it to notice the change in subject.

"Sorry, I cannot say I do. I am not from the plains, remember?" Mark then pushes the bandit over. Panting and then curling his lips at the sight.

Lyn goes on to explain, not noticing Mark twist the sword and pull. "It's a type of round hut. Many nomads live in huts like these. They're sturdy but they're able to be taken down and moved."

Mark reappears back beside her with her sword in his hands. He proceeds to wipe it off on the grass as best he can but is forced once again to defile his robes to finish the job.

"Sounds like an interesting home. It is nothing that I have ever seen." Mark lays the sword at Lyn's feet and then goes off to the side.

"It's a nice way of life." Lyn weakly smiles. "Mother always had the best decorations for ours. The others of my tribe would always grin at the designs as they walked past. You should have seen the colors. Blues and greens. . .it was beautiful. . .so calming. . ."

Mark looks over to Lyn for a moment but then he begins to lay down himself. He relaxes his body and throws himself into Lyn's mind to make sure she is ok. He is relieved to find her mind still strong even if she's physically tired.

_**Good night. We will head out in the morning.**_

Mark leaves Lyn's mind and his is allowed to finally he begins to fall asleep himself, he remembers something. Chuckling, he wipes some dirt from his face.

"So much for only a few hours."

Turning over, he sees the cut up bodies of the bandits and then looks over again to Lyn wrapped up in makeshift bandages. Mark turns back to stare at the stars now that the clouds have moved on. He lets out a darker chuckle.

"We needed the rest anyway."

* * *

Faint images dance around, flickering here and there but never staying. Sharper images such as a dance around a small fire share places with other more vague ones like a horse bolting through the plains and none of them really make any sense. But any time such an image begins to solidify a strange feeling overcomes and replaces them with different ones. A sea of green, a bluish-green tent, and others that didn't even resemble anything came and went. They were a lot more confusing than the original ones yet at the same time were more calming. This continues for no time at all yet an eternity all in one. In the end, this tiny conflict is soon ended with a name.

"Lyn."

Lyn starts to turn over to the other side but is stopped by something. She slowly opens her eyes letting in the dim light of the early morning. Lyn yawns and sits up. She notices that her left arm is bound and that by her feet is her sword. Still half asleep she squints and looks forward as she sees grass and dirt instead of the confines of her tent. Lyn's eyes shoot open.

"What? W-Where am I?"

Lyn tries to stand but is forced back down by another's hands. She whirls around and is greeted with a blue haired man. He gives a small smirk and all too soon the memories start to flood into her mind: her wound, the fight, and the bandit she and Mark are still after. Mark bends down and helps Lyn get up and then hands her the sword.

"I did not mean to startle you but I figured you would want to get moving."

Lyn awkwardly sheathes her sword and then bends down to get the satchels they had brought but Mark stops her.

"I will get that. Before we start moving I should also check your wound." Mark then smiles wider. "You might have got lucky and it may have healed already."

Lyn glances at the rising sun and then looks north. She then looks around and pales as she sees the two corpses of the bandits still lying where they fell. "Can you check it while we walk? I. . .I uh. . ."

Mark notices where her unease is coming from but shakes his head, his smile having disappeared and replaced with a sorrowful look. "Sorry, I cannot have you move your arm too much while I'm unwrapping it. Depending on how much it has healed, it might reopen." He stays quiet for a small moment before the grin comes back. "We can walk a bit though before doing it. I would need to cut new bandages anyway and I can do that while we are moving."

The two quickly gather everything they needed and Lyn notices that Mark had gathered a few things from the bandits. She gives him a curious look as he takes some of the water they had on them but he returns a smirk along with a bit too good-natured answer of, "it is not like they are going to be needing it." Lyn does her best to ignore this and they then walk on in silence. The events of the last night still linger, but only a little, as one looks forward while the other tries not to think about it.

After moving far enough away, Mark has Lyn stop and he begins to unwrap her from the sling and bandages. Finally undoing the last wrap he tilts his head with a quizzical look. Lyn looks down at her arm and is as amazed as Mark is to see the effects of the vulnerary. Where there was once a gash coming down the back of her arm was now a new layer of healthy and unbroken skin. "Wow. Fastest healing I have ever seen. There does not even appear to be any scar tissue either. The gash must not have been as deep as I thought it was."

Mark stands up and helps Lyn to do the same. Lyn cautiously moves her arm but is relieved to find no pain or even any soreness. "That's. . .I never knew vulneraries could do things like this! I just always used them for minor cuts!" As they start to walk again Lyn looks over to Mark with her mouth open. "Did you know they could do this?"

Mark chuckles. "The vulneraries I have used could do things like that, yes, but they always took a lot longer. Of course, with the ones I knew of, we drank them too, so these must be of a different type. Besides, someone had usually already healed such wounds with a healing staff and since healing staffs had the potential of putting someone's guts back in place, we rarely ever used vulneraries. I have come to think of them more as a temporary measure."

"Healing staffs? Like magic?" Lyn asks.

"Yeah. Magic can do a lot of miraculous things. If one was skilled enough, one could create fireballs over open water, call lighting from a clear sky, or heal some of the worst wounds imaginable." Mark smiles and looks far off as if he was remembering fond memories.

Lyn immediately asks the next obvious question, "Can you do magic?"

" Uhh. . .yes but . . . " Mark shakes his head. "I would need a magic tome. Right now if I were to use magic without one I would very likely pass out. And in the condition I am in, it would likely be for a day at the least."

Lyn lowers her head, disappointed. "I just thought that, well, since you can use your power at any time and with such ease that magic would be the same. . .Isn't your power magic?"

Mark shrugs, "My power is something entirely different. It is not magic in the normal sense and it is not something anyone else besides two others I know can do. No one has ever truly understood what it was either."

"Well, will you tell me what you know of your power? What exactly can you do?"

Mark thinks for a second, smirk receding and brow furrowed in thought. "In simple terms, it is like throwing my consciousness around."

Lyn's eyes widen, "What? Like your spirit actually leaves your body?"

Mark laughs and shakes his head. "No, no. I can still feel everything that happens to my body and I can even control it, though that takes focus away from whatever I was doing before. My spirit is always based in my body, it is just that I can. . .uh. . .extend it or focus it in a way. If I were to suffer a major injury I would be pulled back into my body and either lose consciousness or, if it was so bad, I would still die. Such as last night. I was 'outside' of my body but yet at the same time I was able to follow you around. This meant that I could not really focus on anything from the outside. I could see the bandits but they were really, really blurry. I could hear them but they seemed garbled as if they were far off. As we got closer, my normal senses were actually much more useful than my 'extra' senses."

Lyn pondered this and, after they jumped over a small ditch, asked a follow up question. "But yet you were able to talk - er - _**think**_, to me so clearly. When you did that you weren't blurry at all."

Mark nods his head. "Yeah, but that is because throwing myself into someone's mind takes so much focus. When I am in someone's mind, I'm forced to sense what they sense, think what they think. I cannot move much at all or I am thrown back out." Mark stops talking for a second and then lets out a laugh. "Also, if I am not careful, I might also move the way they do, when they do. There was a time I sprained my ankle because I accidently made myself jump off my bed as I eavesdropped onto my father's training."

Lyn thinks of Mark running into walls while overhearing gossip and she giggles. As they walk on, she thinks about it a bit more when an idea comes to her and she frowns. "You said you sense what the person senses . . . that means you see and hear everything they do?"

Mark is quiet for a second and then begins to rub his palm. He has a feeling he knows where Lyn is going with this. "Yes, and everything else. I can feel what they feel, smell what they smell, and taste what they taste. As they think, so do I. Anything that crosses their minds I am able to experience."

"So when you are in another person's mind, they have absolutely no privacy. . ."

Mark sighs. "Correct. However, it also goes the other way."

Lyn looks over to Mark. "What do you mean?"

"I know everything the person is sensing, feeling, and thinking, but the person can know the same if they try or if I really let them. The times I have been in your head you could always feel my presence but you had never really focused in on it. If you were to really concentrate, you should be able to experience my senses or even know my thoughts. Even any of the ones I might try to hide. Remember when I first reached out to you? That sharp pain?"

Lyn nods and then adds on, "So the person has no privacy but you don't either?"

Mark hesitates but nods. "In theory. In practice, very few have ever really, _**truly,**_ noticed my presence. Sure, everyone can feel something but they never think of it as another human's mind. And of the ones who have, they either could not focus in on it or they were really close to me so I did not bother them in such a way."

They continue walking, an awkward silence only being interrupted by the crunching grass as Lyn directs them to the northwest. Lyn decides to break the silence with another question.

"Why did you tell me all that?"

"You had asked."

"But you seemed really hesitant to tell me. You seemed nervous. I know of a Lycian saying and it goes somewhat along the lines of 'don't let someone you don't fully know, know everything there is about you.' "

Mark lets out a laugh. "If that were so, then no one would fully know anyone."

Lyn smiles. "I agree, but you aren't from Sacae. Honesty may not be something you care for."

Mark stays quiet for a moment. Then he laughs again and smiles wide.

"I honestly do not know. You were kind enough to tell me a little about you so I guess I just felt that you deserved to know that much about me. "

The two share a smile before Mark turns back and continues.

"Besides, someone who is willing to take on a group of bandits is not someone I want to be distrusting of me."

Lyn suddenly stops, wide eyed and becoming bit pale. Mark notices this and looks back.

"Lyn?"

"The bandits. . ."

Lyn starts to run.

Lyn yells back in a frantic tone, "Come on, we have to hurry! We've wasted too much time!"

Mark stumbles when he tries to follow her.

"You are going to have to slow down. I still cannot run that fast!"

Mark runs along after her, barely holding on to all of the satchels. The two cut across the plains with renewed zeal as the sun continues to rise on a new day.

* * *

_**Author's Notes (14/03/15):**** Hello readers. Here we have an explanation as to what Mark's powers are. I took inspiration from the map interface in that the tactician (you) can see the entire area and check enemies as well as allies. I thought it would be a useful ability for a strategist to have. After all, being able to see an area in such a way does help in planning and not to mention what the enemy is literally thinking. Of course it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Mark is practically a sitting duck when fully using his power and it's not as useful when limited. This isn't to mention the possibility of being overwhelmed from the sensations depending on who you eavesdrop on and when.**_

_"Wait . . . Are you saying that Mark can use magic without a tome? That's not right!"_**:**_** In game terms you would be correct but hear me out first. We know from the games that all processed **_**offensive_ magic comes from tomes but my thought process is that people can use raw magic itself. Some stories have people using incantations to be able to use the magic but in others the characters just pull it straight out of the book - *snap* - just like that. It's my idea that if the characters can use magic in such ways then they themselves must be able to use or possess a small amount of raw magic. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to use magic to begin with. If the mage is sufficiently skilled then in an emergency they could wield that raw magic in some form of attack. This rant will hopefully be enough but for those curious there will be more on this in a later chapter._**

**_Anyway, we're soon to face off against the Beast! Until next time._**

**_responses:_**

Guest review from Chp. 3: Thanks for the review and I'm glad I could pull off an enjoyable character for you! You help to bring up the point of the tactician's memory but that in my opinion is more fanon than canon. I don't really understand how the idea that the tactician is an amnesiac became canon for so many. I just don't see where in the game you're supposed to infer that the tactician lost his memory. There _**is**_ Lyn's question of "do you remember your name?" so I guess that that's where it comes from but to me that isn't enough to say for certain. It's a simple question for a character that is already a ghost of one to begin with. Mark's character is so skeletal and open to interpretation that for Eliwood's/Hector's part of the game he isn't much of a character at all and this is in respect to the already limited use in Lyn's. Even though I might not agree with it, thanks for sharing your views.


	5. A Girl on the Plains (III)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken._ Any and all canon characters and settings are property of Intelligent Systems. I also do not claim anything non-canon that might appear.

* * *

Lyn and Mark ran as much as possible the rest of the way. Or, more accurately, Mark did his best not to pass out as Lyn forced the two to move as fast as they could. Mark regrets that he could not even eat lunch but he knows they did not have anything to begin with. He chastises himself for not bringing any of Lyn's tiny grain supply. About a quarter into the afternoon, Lyn finally had them stop. Lyn stands, catching her breath, but Mark collapses into the grass panting. He stares up into the clear blue sky as he tries not to break a rib from breathing so hard. Mark's heaving doesn't stop but he manages to gasp out, "Please. . .slow. . .down. . ."

Mark drinks from the bladder he took off the bandit in between gasps for air.

"How far. . .are we. . ."

"It's there." Lyn points to a spot just below the horizon where Mark can barely make out what looks like a large tent.

Mark closes his eyes and tries to slow his breathing. He opens them again and Lyn patiently waits for him to tell her something, anything.

"There are two bandits . . . One appears to be going into the tent . . . and the other is guarding over three other people."

"How are they?" Lyn clutches her hands close to her chest. "Are they ok? Are they hurt?"

Mark shuts his eyes once more and is quiet for a second, making Lyn shuffle her feet out of nervousness. Finally he opens his eyes again and sits up.

"They are unhurt. Angry, scared, and terrified - in that order - but they are unhurt."

Lyn jumps with joy. "We're just in time! We made it!"

Mark does his best to stand back up, smiling as Lyn helps to pull him up.

"Alright, that is all well and good but we still have the bandits to deal with."

"There's just two bandits, right? Go in and sneak up on one and then I can deal with the other. Just like last time, ok?"

Lyn starts to move towards the ger but is pulled back by Mark grabbing her arm.

"Mark, let go! We need to-", her objections die on her lips as she sees Mark's face. This was the face she had seen when she had first decided to charge off, this was the face she had seen stalking up to the bandits. His face was dead serious once more and Lyn knew that such a face now meant she had not thought things over completely or she was not taking things as seriously as she should be. She had experienced it more times than she would have liked with her father.

Lyn lowers her head and sighs. "Sorry, I just. . .I just want to help. I figured since it's broad daylight in the middle of the plains, there wouldn't be much else I could actually do."

Mark nods his head and then his face softens back to its usual state. He motions for Lyn to follow him. Instead of answering out loud, Mark enters her mind.

_**Believe me, I want to help too. But I also want to make sure I do not see you die. Helping the family here will mean nothing if you wind up on some bandit's -**_

_** -**__Axe. Yes, I remember what you said the first time. What do you think we should do? They might decide to just run. . ._

Mark's smirk widens into an actual smile as he slowly leads them around the ger. He notices that the bandit in the ger is taking his dear sweet time in ransacking the family's possessions and that the other bandit keeps calmly looking around every now and then as if waiting on something. With this, he answers Lyn's question.

_**They are not in any hurry and they appear to be waiting on someone. I wonder who **_**that**_** could be.**_

_The other two bandits! But since I took them out. . ._

_**They will be waiting for a while. We will have enough time to get behind them without them noticing.**_

_So it will be just like last time?_ Lyn frowns, this was what she had started to do anyway.

_**Yes, just like last time. You might have had the right idea but you should never rush in without thinking when you are by yourself. **_Lyn hears a slight chuckle from Mark. _**I've had to learn that the hard way. Unlike last time, you might be seen before hand, even more than just a meter away, and there will also be three others you will need to watch out for. **_

_Could you warn them about what's to happen? _

Mark considers the idea but rejects it. _**I could, but sadly it wouldn't be a good idea. It might backfire. They would not know who I am, would probably act even more worried, and they might also shout out. I would rather not do anything that could force the bandits' hands. **_

As they finish circling around, Mark motions Lyn to move in front. Lyn starts to move forward but is tugged on the sleeve once again.

_**Lyn, take your sword out now. There is no use in letting them know someone is about to attack. **_

Lyn does so without looking back, and readies herself. Smiling, she teases Mark.

_That _would _have made last night a bit better._

She turns back to Mark and her smile quickly drops. Mark is still smirking, but Lyn notices that his eyes and overall expression seem to have drooped a little bit. His shoulders have slumped and he is not looking straight into her eyes.

_**You are right and I should have thought of that last night. I am sorry.**_

Lyn looks back forward and they move on towards the back of ger. They finally reach the back of the ger. They both hear the bandit moving stuff around inside of it as they stop.

_ Thank you, Mark._

Mark straightens up and looks up to see Lyn smiling back at him again.

_**Hm?**_

_You have followed me the entire way giving me advice, and you tended to my injury. You have helped me when you didn't need to. You could have just left me to continue on your own way, but you didn't. Thank you, Mark!_

Mark stares for a second but then smiles and nods his head.

_**I could not just let you go by yourself. Someone needed to look out for you.**_

Lyn then turns forward and her own expression hardens. The noise coming from inside has started to speed up and grow louder. She grips her sword.

_Now then, let's go get that brigand at the front of the ger!_

Calmly, they both inch forward as they let the noise of the bandits overwhelm their footfalls. Finally, as they approach the front, Lyn stops.

_Which way is the bandit facing?_

_**Away from you. He is in between the front of the tent and the family so they will see you before he does.**_

Lyn peeks around and sees the family; a man with his arms around a woman and a little girl. The man sternly looks at the bandit while the woman gently caresses the whimpering girl's hair. The bandit bounces his axe a little, a grin on his face. An all too familiar scene plays across Lyn's mind as she sees another family run through a small burning village.

_Not again. _

Lyn steps forward, ignoring the frustrated yells of the bandit inside.

"Where in the void did those two get lost! When I find them, I swear I'll rip them in two! It's not enough that those two pathetic excuses for bandits haven't showed up, I still have to deal with the family itself!"

With that the two parents stiffen while the girl cries out. The bandit outside moves forward, himself shouting.

"Shut your trap ya rat!" The bandit jabs his finger at the father. "Get her to shut up or I'll shut her up for ya!"

Lyn grits her teeth and tightens her grip. The images continue to bounce around her mind: a falling axe, a falling body.

_Never again. I won't let them. Not if I can help it!_

Lyn rushes forward, yelling. The bandit looks up, not really knowing what he was hearing. He looks back to see an angry girl charging at him. He attempts to bring his axe up but he is too slow in doing it. Lyn swings her sword at the bandits neck and iron connects with skin. Lyn jumps to the side as the axe lazily passes by her. Lyn swings around and brings her sword to attack only to see that it was unneeded. The bandit is grasping at his bloody throat and the axe had fallen from his grasp. As Lyn calms her breath, she sees that the family had run off into the brush.

_**I will make sure they are alright. You still have one more coming and he is big.**_

No sooner had Mark even started the thought than the bandit came charging out of the ger in response to the yelling he had heard. Lyn steps back as she sees a monster of a man. Almost two meters tall, he dwarfs Lyn. Muscles bulge around his arms and legs and he is notably more armored than his shirtless followers with a hard leather vest lying over a thick green shirt. A green band around his head keeps his blond hair standing up and out of his eyes. The bandit looks to see his only ally drowning in his own blood and then over to the seemingly frail girl holding a bloody sword directly at him.

He shouts out, "Who do you think you are? You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast?"

Not waiting for an answer, the Beast charges. He brings his axe in an over head swing but Lyn swiftly jumps to the side. She brings her sword up to swing at his back but stops as she notices Batta had moved into a stance where he could block it. As Lyn dodges to the other side from the next swing, she grunts in frustration.

_Mark was right, he is more experienced._

"You little runt! For attacking my crew, I will break you and throw away the pieces! Only I can do that!"

The Beast charges again as he brings his axe forward in a side swipe. Lyn charges forward as well and slides below the axe as it sails past her head. She takes a swipe with her sword but she's kicked off target as Batta turns around. Lyn rolls up onto her knees and then jumps back as Batta takes another swing. She stands back up and brings her sword around.

"So long as you weren't able to murder that family, I'd die with pride!"

The bandit pauses and then picks up the comparatively small axe of the other bandit. The Beast stares at her the whole while which keeps her from attacking. Batta snarls as he hefts it up. "Murder? I don't do murder. I do looting and looting only. I'm no Taliver. But for anyone who gets in my way. . ."

He chucks the axe at Lyn. It flies in a crooked line as it wasn't meant to be thrown but it goes straight enough that Lyn is forced to move as it flies by. Batta uses the opportunity to charge forward and brings his axe down but Lyn is still too fast and is able to dodge. She twirls around and lands near the other side of the ger, standing opposite of the bandit. Lyn leans only a little, doing her best to hide her fatigue.

_Whew! He's tough. . ._

_**If he is too much for you, run. You are faster than he is and the family is already safe. There is no need to get hurt.**_

The two begin to circle each other, both of them looking for any openings like a ragged breath or an unfocused eye. Lyn thinks of the family.

_They are safe yes. . .but their home, their life!_

_**They have their lives. You made sure of that. Lyn, staying here is foolish!**_

Lyn settles her stance, not budging. Eyes of dull jade bore into the bandit at the other side. The only idea in her mind is one of revenge.

_This might be foolishness . . . but I'll make sure this is also punishment!_

Lyn charges forward with a yell, sword pointing forward ready to plunge. Batta raises his axe as well. Lyn dodges the first swing and lands at Batta's side. She thrusts her sword but Batta manages to turn and hit it out of her hands with his hand. Lyn leaps forward and behind him to recollect her sword. She rolls forward and tries to jump back to her feet but not before the bandit's axe swipes her back. Pain shoots through her as she lands in front of the bandit.

_**LYN! **_/ "LYN!"

The sudden shout makes the bandit hesitate allowing Lyn to kick her foot out. It connects with the bandit's gut giving Lyn the time to get up and jump back to a safer distance. The Beast growls.

"You have someone else with you? They won't be able to help you at all! That's because I'll make sure to make you bleed out nicely long before then."

_**Run!**_

_NO! I WON'T BE WEAK ANYMORE! I'VE RAN ENOUGH!_

Lyn, winded, stares down her sword at the bandit, tears in her eyes fighting back the pain. The bandit is winded as well and Lyn managed to cut him slightly after the kick. Even with that, the bandit is too strong.

_It all comes down to this next blow. . .and I don't know if I can land it. _

Lyn's mind races from the current fight, to the fight of a day past and from living alone in her tent to this small journey. Lyn's memory goes through it all as she blinks for just a little bit too long.

_Mark, if I fall, I want you to flee. _Lyn squeezes her sword. _You must escape!_

_**Lyn - **_

_No, Mark! My father taught me better than this! He taught me how to fight and he was the best around! A bandit couldn't best him in a fair fight! So I should be able to. . ._

Lyn's thoughts come to the memories of her practicing with her father even as she walked around the circle opposite Batta. She remembered Hassar's constant reminders to always stay calm as well as other memories of him showing her what stance to use and how to hold the sword. All of this affects Lyn subconsciously as her breathing relaxes, her stance deepens, and her grip stabilizes. Not knowing what was happening, Batta takes this as a sign of weakness. To him, the girl appears to be ready to fall, no doubt from all the pain he has inflicted. The Beast charges one final time, axe ready to end the life of the girl in front of him. Batta swings, assured it will be victory but Lyn continues to remember. She somehow remembers Hassar telling her how to dodge just before she gracefully lowers herself, thus allowing Batta's axe to smoothly glide over her. She remembers how to safely parry as Batta comes back for another swing with his axe. She lets her sword push his axe away, not making full contact but just colliding with it enough to move it in a way that pushes Batta off balance. She then finishes everything with a simple stab as she twirls behind the Beast and pushes the sword into his heart with both hands.

Batta falls to his knees, blood flowing out of his leather armor and with a sword sticking out of his back. Lyn calmly twists her sword and takes it out, bringing with it bits of cloth and leather. Batta gasps but this only serves to bring blood into his lungs. He stares at his wound, he can't seem to understand what happened.

"What? How. . ."

He weakly looks up at the girl whom he thought he could squash with ease. This girl calmly moves around, her eyes cold and distant. These are no longer the eyes of a gentle plains girl.

". . .how did you-"

He is stopped from finishing by a blade going across his neck. His body falls; the Beast has finally been put down. Lyn looks at this but cannot really think about it. She's too tired and in too much pain. Lyn drops her sword and begins to sway. She falls to her knees and lets out a sigh.

"Whew. . .that was tough."

She falls just a Mark rushes out from the grass.

"Lyn, hold on!"

Mark quickly takes out a vulnerary and slathers it on his hand. He turns Lyn over on to her side and covers her wound with it. Lyn has not lost consciousness yet but she can only faintly make out Mark talk to someone. She sees the ground give way as two people take her and move her into the ger. As she's laid down she tries to focus her eyes. She's only able to see a bluish figure looking over her. "You were right Mark . . . he wasn't just another bandit. I sorely underestimated him."

The bluish figure leaves with a big and little one as a slim figure moves toward her and starts to take off her robes. A while passes but the figure tending to the wounds places a blanket over her and leaves while the bluish one returns. Lyn hears a voice talk and she tries to listen but she cannot make it out. A warm feeling enters her and alien thoughts begin to place themselves into her mind.

_**You did well. I would ask if you are alright but . . . it sort of seems like a hollow gesture right now. **_

Lyn weakly chuckles as she fights the urge to sleep.

"I did it Mark. I was able to save them . . . Sorry if I worried you.I'll need to be stronger if I'm going to survive . . . Strong enough that no one can defeat me."

_**Technically, you were not . . . defeated. Like me, you are still young and so you just need practice.**_

"I'll . . . be sure to take that advice. . ."

Lyn's breathing slows as she begins topass out. She tries to look up to the bluish figure but her eyes close shut.

_Good work, Mark! I guess . . . we can go home now. . ._

Mark passes the mother as he exits the ger and sits opposite the father of the family. His robes are almost no more as he had cut off as much as possible to give to the mother. He sits down outside the ger. Resting his head on his right hand, he watches the man try to calm his daughter. After a while he then leans his back against the ger and lets out a sigh, grumbling.

"I should have made her run."

The man looks up and warily eyes Mark.

"Whatever you could have done, it wouldn't have worked. Facing off against a bandit of all people, her own sense of self-worth wouldn't allow it. They've caused her too much pain and the people of Sacae are too proud to let such deep grudges stand."

Mark closes his eyes for a moment and then looks back at the man. Tilting his head just a little he asks, "I understand that bandits must have done something to her, but what exactly was it?"

The father remains silent and continues to hold the child as the child begins to cry again. The wife comes out and stands with them. She looks at Mark as well and then asks, "She didn't tell you?"

Mark looks down.

"I can guess. . ."

Images of dark things he's seen in Lyn's mind pass through his and there was more than enough to get a semi-accurate picture.

". . . but no, she never told me and there was never a peaceful time to bring it up."

The man frowns but remains silent and the woman takes the child and goes back into the ger.

"I won't tell you. It's not something that I have the right to do. If she wants to tell you, she will. If not, you would be better off respecting that."

Mark nods his head, accepting that some things are just too personal to have others talk about it for you. After keeping quiet for a little while he asks, "Will she be alright here?"

The man continues to stare at Mark but he answers, "Yes. The axe didn't seem to go too deep and with the vulnerary she will be fine. As for a place to stay, we would gladly have her rest here until she's healthy again. It would be the least we could do after what she has done to protect us and our home." The man looks back towards the entrance of the ger.

Mark finally smiles and stands up.

"Then I am sure she will be fine."

"You're free to stay here as well." The man stands up along with him and walks over to the entrance. "After all, you helped us too. How, I don't know, but I know you did. She's strong, but Lyn would not have made it here without you. "

Mark hesitates. He does not want to stay. He wants to travel and learn more about the world. However, he also wants to make sure the kind girl who took care of him is safe and he's curious as to how she ended up alone on the plains. He looks back at the man. The man finally smiles and says, "She'll likely want to wake up to a friendly face and you seem friendly enough."

Mark looks at the sky until his stomach growls. In all of the excitement, he had forgotten he had no supplies and hadn't eaten all day. Mark chuckles while rubbing his palm. He has only one decision available to him in the end.

"I'll stay with her until she's strong enough to fend for herself. After that, I'll gather supplies and leave."

Having an answer, the man heads into the tent with Mark following. Mark spends the rest of the day helping clean up the mess the bandits had made.

The next day Mark wakes up on the grass inside the ger. He gives a small groan and then turns to push himself up. He makes for an unpleasant sight as he wipes his face and picks at the sand in his eyes. Looking around he first sees the mother with the child in her lap. The father is nowhere to be seen but who is to be seen is a green eyed girl with her long green hair wrapped up in a pony tail. Her robes are back on her but Mark notices that bandages can still be seen. Mark blinks as he thinks he's seeing things but the green figure does not disappear.

Mark asks, "L-Lyn?"

Lyn turns around from playing with the small girl bouncing on her mother's lap to see Mark. She smiles wide as she sees his shocked expression.

"Good morning, Mark! Are you awake yet?"

Mark's expression does not change as his mouth remains agape.

_By the gods, what do they put in those vulneraries? _

He is finally able to move his mouth though.

"I do not know. I am only considering the possibility but I think I might be dreaming."

Lyn laughs.

"That fight yesterday must have taken a lot out of you."

Mark finds the current situation too ridiculous. He cannot help it as he starts to burst out laughing. He holds his gut as he tries to stand but it does not help as the shaking makes it too hard. He is finally able to get a hold of himself as he pulls his head up to face Lyn.

"This - heheh - this is coming from the girl - heh - who had a gash in her back just last night?"

Lyn and Mark share a smile and then they both start to laugh. They are followed by the girl's giggles. The mother joins them with a smile but stands up to get something. She grabs a wooden bowl and hands it to Mark. In it is some bread and the tiniest sliver of meat.

"I was told that you haven't eaten much at all in the past couple of days. Take this. It's not much but I hope you will be satisfied."

"No. No. This is more than enough."

Mark takes the bowl, thanks her, and then begins to eat. The little group begins to go into small talk as they go over things such as the unusual cloud cover and gossipy rumors coming from Bulgar. Mark takes this time to ask questions about Sacae such as how the nomads live, climate of the plains, as well as about the major cities. The talk is pleasant but Mark notices after a while that Lyn had stopped her additions to the conversations. He turns to see her fidgeting a little.

"Is there something wrong, Lyn?"

Lyn slightly jumps but then calms down and turns to Mark.

"No, it's. . ." Lyn begins to speak but then looks down. She sighs and continues, "Say, Mark. . . I want to talk to you about something. . ."

At these words, the mother indiscreetly pressures the child into following her out of the ger. Mark is hard-pressed not to see this but he patiently listens as Lyn continues.

"You have some experience in the ways of war, I can see." Lyn pauses but then looks up and finishes with a hopeful smile. "Would you allow me to travel with you?"

Mark is silent as he thinks about this. _I had been wanting to stay with Lyn for a while, yes. After all, someone so young living by herself on the plains would have to be skilled enough to survive. I will need that in order to pass through the plains but I was expecting to learn it as I followed _her _for a short bit. Also, why? She appeared to be living just fine when I first met her. _Mark's mind then goes to her nightmares the night just after the first two bandits. He also remembers the harsh hatred she had for Batta and how it was somehow connected to her father. _No . . . she was not just fine. Therefore, I would first want to know about the what . . . and it deals with her parents._

Mark straightens up from his slumped position and turns back to face Lyn.

"I can easily consider it but . . . you have to have family. You kept talking about how your father taught you how to fight with the sword and your mother having decorated your family's ger. They would no doubt be worried for their daughter if she just started to wander around with a stranger. If I get your parent's blessing then I see no reason not to allow you to follow. . ."

While saying this, Mark easily notices how Lyn's expression falls. Her green eyes start to dull to that unnatural jade with her shoulders slumping as much as possible. His words start to die as he finishes, and Mark can barely make himself look at her in the end. Lyn's mouth opens and closes before she's finally able to squeak out, "What? You . . . you want me to get permission from my parents?"

Mark slowly nods his head, his eyes having fallen to the grass. He knows that what he is doing is cruel but, before allowing her to follow, he has to know for sure. Lyn's gaze also falls down, tears starting to form in her eyes.

"The thing is . . . well . . ." Lyn breaths in and then finally tells her story. "My mother and my father . . . died six months ago. My people - the Lorca - they don't . . . I'm the last of my tribe. Bandits attacked, and . . . they killed so many people . . ." Lyn is forced to let herself calm down as a choked sob escapes but she is able to continue. "The tribe was scattered. My father was our chieftain, and I wanted to protect our people. I'm so young, and everyone else is so old-fashioned. They wouldn't follow a woman. No one would follow me."

Mark sits helpless in front of Lyn as she continues to cry. He does his best to say something.

"I . . . losing people you care for . . . Seeing stuff like that is really hard. Being cast out on your own with not many or nobody to help you is by no means good fortune. It's especially not something someone so young should experience." Mark is quiet but then he is able to give a weak smile. "But you have lived. You keep saying you want to be strong but you are already strong enough to live on your own after such an event. I would say that that is a feat."

Lyn's crying slows down and she sniffs.

"I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long . . ."

Lyn sniffs again and wipes her eyes. She closes them and balls up her fists.

"No. No more. I will shed no more tears."

Lyn keeps her eyes closed as she focuses on her breathing. Mark waits as she continues to breath in and out. She then opens her eyes and then gives Mark a small smile.

"Thank you. I'm better now."

Lyn looks down for a split second but then looks back at Mark with fierce determination.

"Mark, I want - I must become stronger, so that I may avenge my father's death. Yesterday's battle taught me something. I won't become stronger by sitting here alone."

Lyn leans forward now, eyes pleading. "Mark, please tell me you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you!"

Mark stays quiet again and mulls everything over. The need for vengeance is not really an emotion that he knows well. It's not an emotion he wants to know either. When she mentioned vengeance, he could see the flash of hate in her eyes and the scowl that came and went with it. He looks at Lyn in the end and sees how her eyes hold a hint of fear but also a load of fierceness. He knows where the latter comes from but he's just now realizing that the fear comes from the thought of him leaving her. She's been alone for quite some time and is now clinging to the hope of traveling with someone, especially someone who can help her and has shown willingness to. He would hate to hurt her by sending her back to her tent alone. He also realizes that he would want the company too. Before waking up in Lyn's tent, he had been traveling alone. Days of walking by himself without seeing anyone had started to take its toll on him. Thinking back on how he stills need her help just solidifies his final decision. Mark relents and breaks out into a smile. Lyn sees this and smiles too.

"You will?"

Mark nods his head and chuckling he says, "Yes."

Lyn jumps up. Bright green eyes bouncing with excitement, she shouts out, "That's wonderful! Thank you! Oh, thank you!"

She traps Mark in a hug and he's forced to laugh. She lets go as he continues to squirm in her grip. Lyn jumps back to give him room but continues to ramble.

"We'll be better off working together, I know it. You'll be my master strategist and I'll be your peerless warrior! We can do it! Right?"

Lyn turns back to Mark, nearly breathless, with the biggest grin he had seen her have. He can only smile along with her as he moves to stand up. "Haha. Yes, yes. I actually needed someone to be able to guide me or, as the case may be, protect me as I traveled the plains."

Mark then dramatically swings his arms into a bow. He looks back up and with a goofy grin says, "With your peerless skills and my master strategies, I'm sure we will work wonders."

At this moment the family pushes their way back into the tent to be greeted with the sight of both Lyn and Mark laughing with what seems to be not a care in the world.

It was early the next day that the two gathered their things to set off back to Lyn's tent. Mark was busy trying to manage the satchels as well as the small amount of gifts the family was able to give to them. They were not able to give much but it was enough to be able to barter with for more useful things. As he wrestled with all of this and the small child darting around him, Lyn was busy talking with the parents.

"You think this is a good idea?" The father asks Lyn, looking over at Mark. "He doesn't seem to be dangerous but. . ." The father scratches his chin. ". . . He didn't say much about himself to me and you don't seem to know much about him either."

"It will be fine. Like you said, he isn't dangerous." Lyn giggles. "Besides, if I don't go with him he might just wind up collapsing again."

The father just shakes his head as the mother smiles. She gives Lyn a small hug. "We know you'll do fine, the spirits have given you a blessing and I don't see them turning away from you now." Lyn and the woman separate. "After all, they had deemed it fitting enough to help us by allowing you to arrive before we could be harmed."

The father looks from his wife to his daughter.

"Yes, they were definitely kind and we cannot thank you enough for coming."

Lyn smiles and shakes her head.

"Think of it only as repayment for the kindness you showed to me. You and many others were willing to help me out in the beginning. . ."

Lyn looks down slightly but quickly looks up with a smile.

"There is no need for you to thank me."

The father finally smiles and then places his hand on Lyn's shoulder. "Spirits continue to guide you, Lyn."

"I need some help, please! I cannot seem to figure out how to carry all these and . . ."

The three look back to see Mark is doing his best to deal with all of the bags alone while completely ignoring the fact that Lyn was capable of carrying some too. Mark motions with his hands a little to the hyperactive girl running around him. She definitely wasn't helping matters since she was tugging at some of the satchels and trying to open a few others to see what was inside. Lyn and the parents share a good laugh as the mother goes to catch her child and the father moves to help her. Lyn looks at Mark while he puts down the satchels again. She is completely filled with hope for the first time in a while. She then looks out over the plains to see the sun as it continues to rise. Basking in the golden rays, Lyn's smile widens.

"I'm sure they will."

* * *

_**Author's Notes (28/03/15):**** Hello again readers. We're finally done with the prologue! *confetti and cheers* Only . . . ~10 more video game chapters to go. What did I get myself into? Well, I guess we'll find out together won't we? I'll admit that the fighting scene may have been sort of short but this entire chapter represents - what? 3 turns and the ending of a single level? Haha. Where was this skill to lengthen things when I needed it in high school? Freaking English classes. . .**_

_**Anyway, Bulgar's up next so until next time!**_


	6. Footsteps of Fate (I)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken._ Any and all canon characters and settings are property of Intelligent Systems. I also do not claim anything non-canon that might appear, yadda yadda yadda.

Criticism always welcome.

* * *

Kent is not having a good day. In fact, he might say it is the worst moment of his short career as a Knight of Lycia. Kent is barely able to hide his growing frustration and impatience, both with his companion and his mission. A month had already passed since the beginning of their search. He kept telling himself that it might take a while to find a nomadic tribe wandering the plains but he had still hoped that someone had at least heard the name of the tribe. However, everybody they had come across either had not heard of the Lorca or at least did not have any useful knowledge of them. He had been sent across a quarter of the continent to find her family and now he was beginning to wonder whether this family even existed. Sending his fingers through his orange, eyebrow-length hair, he has to remind himself that he must still continue searching. _I'm not done yet, _he forces himself to think. After all, just because some villagers and stray nomads have not heard of them does not mean they do not exist. Searching the entire plains for an obviously not well known tribe would be insane, however, and so Kent and his partner were heading to Bulgar to find out more. Even with all of the possible difficulties, he knew that he would bear with this mission until the end. Whether that means until the family is found or until they are recalled, Kent could not know for sure. It does not matter to him, his duty as a Knight of Lycia was clear, but he could not say as much about his fellow knight.

"Ah!"

Kent tugs the rain of his horse to stop it and rubs the shoulder pauldron of his red suit of armor. He quickly looks to his side to see the only person who would have the means of hitting him with the flat of a sword. Kent scowls. His companion's ragged, brown hair slightly blows in the breeze as he pushes his sword up against his green armor and playfully pats it with his glove.

"What do you want, Sain!" Kent snaps.

"Wow, you're even grumpier than usual." Sain smiles and moves his head back as if it is about to be bitten off. "I just wanted to ask whether you wanted a quick duel. You keep telling me over and over again that we should practice. So I thought, why not now?"

Kent sighs. "I do, don't I?"

"Yes, you do!" Sain readies his sword while keeping his crooked smile and then says, "So, are you ready to practice?"

Kent shakes his head. "No. I'm not in the mood for practice."

Sain teasingly gasps in shock. "Not in the mood? Kent, the ever dutiful, is _too tired_ to practice his knightly skills?"

"Sain . . ."

"Oh woe is it to us when even the most strict knight shirks his obligations!" Sain continues on, dramatically putting his right arm up to his forehead as if he had contracted a fever from what he had heard. "What could befall us if his abilities ever dulled? Would he fail in his duties or be smitten with a bandit's axe? Or it might even be the case that-"

"Enough, Sain!" Kent yells to cut Sain's rambling off. "We are still a ways from Bulgar. I want to get there before noon to find out as much as possible and practicing our swordplay will only waste time."

"How could practicing it while moving waste time?" Sain tilts his head and continues, "We could do it while trotting or even walking and we would still make it to Bulgar before noon."

"What? And have you lose your sword like last time? We never did find your first one and that killed a good couple of hours. Your grip with swords was always too loose."

Sain only laughs at this. "And your aiming with lances was always too loose. Come on Kent, it will be good for you to unwind with this. I know how calming it is for you just to do your drills. You can practice your aim while I work on my grip."

Kent wipes his forehead and sighs. _Sain is right. I do need to relax. I usually only start to snap at him in the evenings. It will do me well to actually have a practice fight. I haven't done much on the way._ Kent rubs his horse's neck and then concedes.

"Very well, then. We'll have a practice sword fight and strengthen our abilities." Kent unsheathes his sword and then shortens his reigns, which earns him a slight tug from his horse. "Just don't lose your sword this time. I won't allow you to have either of mine."

Sain straightens up, looking more like a knight than his usually relaxed self. "Great!" He shortens his reigns as well and then boldly proclaims, "I promise to make sure that you are the one to lose yours instead!" After saying that, Sain quickly pushes his horse into a canter down the path.

Kent scoffs and then lets out a rare chuckle as he himself pushes his horse onward. "Ha! That will be the day of the dragons returning! "

The two knights charge on down the wooded path. They dodge both trees and rocks as they either try to get ahead of the other or send their sword in the other's direction. After having his horse jump a small branch, Kent flips his sword to the flat edge and sends it in Sain's direction. Sain easily avoids it as he pulls his horse around a small tree and then back onto the path. Kent tries again, aiming for Sain's shoulder as a small form of pay back. Sain parries it and then gives a devil of a smile while changing the grip on his sword. Kent sees the smile and immediately grows nervous while he readies to block.

Kent waits for Sain to make a move but asks, "What roguish idea have you concocted now?"

Sain's grin only widens as he says, "Your sword is mine!"

Sain swings his sword at Kent's head forcing him to duck into his horse's mane.

"Sain, by the gods-"

Kent's outburst is cut short as Sain's sword drives for his. Kent shoots back up and he barely moves his sword out the way before the tip of Sain's sword plows into it. Sain misses by centimeters but it's enough to cause him to lose his balance. His heels go up sending Sain forward and he nearly comes out of the saddle.

"Whoa! How did - AH!"

Sain is made to dodge as Kent sends his sword back toward him. He moves backward in his saddle making his balance even worse. His sword arm flies up and backward as he tries to regain his senses. Kent takes the opportunity to send his sword back to the side in a swiping motion against Sain's sword. He doesn't miss and his blade crashes into Sain's, sending it flying backwards into the brush that covers both sides of their path. Both of the knights then bring their horses to a halt while they both breathe in and try to calm down. Kent is the first to say something when he complains, "What were you trying to do, Sain?! Kill me?"

Sain frowns, hurt. "No! You're a dear friend Kent. I wasn't trying to harm you, just putting you into a position where I could get rid of your sword." He rubs the back of his head. "I almost had you too."

Kent exhales. "You almost took my head off. Besides, that left you wide open for a counter. You know what happens when you overextend yourself." Kent finally remembers that Sain is unarmed. "Great! And now we have to look for your sword." Kent starts to turn his horse around, grumbling. "I told you that this would be a waste of time."

"No, that isn't necessary!" Sain brings his hands up in a placating motion. "I'll buy a new sword at Bulgar. We're nearly there anyway."

"Isn't necessary? Sain, you need a sword. You won't be able to properly defend yourself without one. A lance isn't able to do everything."

"And that's why I said I'd get one at Bulgar! It's a large city so there's no doubt that they'd have plenty to sell."

Kent glares back at Sain. "And waste our money? No. Now come on and help me find the blasted thing."

Kent pushes his horse forward giving Sain no option but to follow. Sain drops his head while they both ride back a bit and then dismount. They start searching through the brush as Kent uses his sword to clear it while Sain slogs through it with only his hands. After a little under half an hour, they still aren't able to find anything as they spread out their search. Kent walks down a small incline towards some bushes when he almost stumbles over a large rock. Pulling his foot back on less bumpy ground, he sees a faint glimmer coming from out of the grass. He looks closer and he can see a metallic object lying under a bush. He moves over to it, extends his arms through the bush, and comes out holding a sword.

"Found it!" Kent yells out.

Sain pushes through the undergrowth and joins back with Kent. Sain moves next to him and takes the sword out of Kent's hands to give it a look. The metal is cracked with a small dent in the middle while the cloth of the grip is a little torn. This is not to mention that the guard itself is slightly bent.

Sains pouts, "It's not in good condition anymore. . . It must have hit a couple of rocks." He lightly taps it against his armor to see the crack of the iron widen a bit. ". . .More than just a couple."

Kent can only cradle his head in his hands as he groans. "Like I said before, I'm not giving you my extra sword."

Sain looks back up from his sword to Kent. "I wasn't going to ask you to. I did say I'd buy a new one."

"Of course, of course."

The two knights then move out of the brush back toward where they had their horses tied. As they mount, Kent looks to his mission again. He was supposed to somehow find a tribe somewhere in the Sacae Plains. It was a tribe that was probably moving every other month or so. Finding a moving target across a vast empty space was difficult enough, but Kent also had to deal with his troublesome friend. Kent's steely determination actually falters for a second. He leans back and looks up through the trees and sees that the sun had almost reached its highest point. Once again he sends his fingers back through his hair.

"I hope we'll be able to find Lady Madelyn soon. I'm not sure how much longer this will take."

Sain pushes his feet into the stirrups and nods in agreement.

"I'm almost certain we'll find out something. After all," Sain pauses to turn and give Kent a big grin. "How could an entire tribe of Sacaens just disappear? We know their names so surely someone would know something about our fair Lady and the youthful. . .uh. . .what was the granddaughter's name again?" Sain sheepishly scratches his head as he tries to remember before Kent tells him. He has no luck though and so braces himself for a rant.

Kent remains silent however; he is too tired to waste his breath and so he only closes his eyes while saying, "Lyndis."

* * *

"Come on, Mark! I thought you had said you were just going to take a second?"

"It is not as easy as just sitting against a tree, Lyn! You have to be careful of foul sticks and renegade brush. Then you have to hunt down crumbly leaves and-"

"Eww! I get it, it's not that simple!"

Lyn shakes her head, lip slightly curled. Needing to use the restroom is, of course, natural, but it's not the kind of natural most people like to discuss. She ignores the faint sounds of chuckling and decides to unsheathe her sword and practice in order to clear her head after that recent wagon of thought. Lyn swings her sword in a dance and imagines as she cuts down this bandit, blocks an axe swing from another, and ducks down from a third. After a short while she pretends that she has been able to take out an entire group of bandits. Lyn's exercise and the midday heat begin to make her sweat but it is still not hot enough to slow her down. As such, her graceful moves continue as she jumps in between the few trees there are and the small bushes that dot the landscape. However, the grace of her moves does not extend to her feet for the moment and her footing gets her into trouble. Her right foot slides forward over a pair of small broken branches which she had unknowingly stood on. She lets out a small shout but is able to get her balance back as she spins herself around and lands her foot back onto solid ground. She exhales, calming herself, but she quickly tenses when she hears the sound of crunching grass and sticks.

"That was a nice save. Elegant even."

Lyn looks back towards the path she had moved from and sees Mark pushing through the grass and bushes. Mark stops in front of her as he leans against a tree and his smirk widens.

"Although, I must say that that look of pure fear which you had on your face did not suit such grace."

Lyn frowns and Mark can see her expression redden as she slowly sheathes her sword. She moves past him and does her best to ignore the amused smile of his. Once back on the path, she smoothes out her robes and then straightens herself to ask, "Are you finished?"

Mark's smile is as wide as ever. He would likely want to crack at least one more joke but thankfully he doesn't push it. "Yes, I am. Just let me grab my bags."

Mark crouches to get his satchels as Lyn moves to get hers. Lyn gets up but hears a soft crunch and jumps. Catching her breath, she looks down only to find that she had broken a small twig in half. She kicks it with a huff, sending a piece flying into the rest of the undergrowth. "Stupid twigs."

"Foul sticks, am I right? They can be downright terrifying sometimes."

Lyn turns around and meets Mark's even bigger grin with a more stern expression. Mark's face is tense from doing his best to keep from laughing. She tries to make herself snap at him but cannot bring herself to do it. She looks down, only slightly red this time, and then turns around to move on down the sparsely wooded path. She quickly spots something at her feet though and abruptly stops. Mark does not see it though and his smile disappears.

"Is there something wrong?"

Lyn stays quiet though and so Mark begins to think he may have gone a little too far in his teasing. He walks up to Lyn and apologizes. "Uh ... Look. I did not mean to make you mad. I just felt it safe enough to tease you." Mark looks at Lyn's back but it only shows the slightest bit of movement due to her moving her foot slightly. Mark sighs and then says, "I'm sorry."

"You said that sticks were foul?"

"Uhh. . .yes. . ."

Mark pales a little and begins to rub his palm as Lyn turns her head around. His troubled expression turns into one of confusion as he sees that instead of an angry or even a saddened expression, Lyn has a smile and her eyes contain a dose of mischief within them. Lyn starts to talk before Mark can question it.

"I think you should be more concerned about other things because they can be far fouler."

The current situation was unexpected and, unnerved, Mark takes a step back. "L-like what?"

"Oh, things like renegade brush."

With that said, Lyn swings her body around while swiftly jerking her foot up, sending a small piece of a bush up into the air. Mark is not able to do much but shout while he brings his arms up to protect his face. The collection of wood and leaves never hits him though and Mark slowly lowers his arms. He opens his eyes to see Lyn pleasantly smiling with a hand on her hip and the other waving the piece of wood back and forth. She leans in and lightly taps Mark on his arm. Mark stands there stunned. He is only able to stare at Lyn while she begins to break down laughing. Lyn regains a sense of composure only for a moment but it is enough to be able to throw Mark's words back at him.

"Hahaha. I must say that that look of pure fear does not suit you."

Mark is dumbfounded and can only gawk at what happened. As Lyn begins to move on down the path he idly shuffles behind her. After thinking for a second he speaks up.

"I have to say, that was pretty underhanded. Was all that to get back at me?"

Lyn turns back behind her and answers, "It ... mostly wasn't to get back at you. I just wanted to see how afraid of sticks you were. After all, you said they can be downright terrifying." She pulls up both of her hands and wiggles her fingers while making "oo"-ing noises.

Mark finally smiles and begins to laugh which brings new found giggles out of Lyn. When they round a small bend, Lyn darts forward and stops at the top of a small incline. Mark walks to catch up but Lyn calls out for him to hurry.

"Mark! Over here!"

As he finishes up moving beside her he takes in the sight that greets him. Shielding his eyes from the overhead sun, he looks and sees that on the other side of the horizon is a large city. The forest that they had begun to step into thickens slightly out in the distance while the city has a small wall keeping the wilderness out. Around the outskirts he is able to see small houses and near the middle there is a square surrounded by larger buildings for the merchants. Mark sees that the city is busy all throughout as he lets himself glide over the scene. He is able to hear people talking to each other while they go conversing about random topics. He listens to the noise of the market as the merchants haggle with their customers and notes when what appeared to be a fiery argument ends in a pleasant exchange of goods. Finally, he also sees a red knight shouting at another green knight about something. Before his curiosity can get the better of him, his limited sense of omniscience is interrupted when he is pulled back by Lyn tapping on his shoulder.

"Mark, are you ok?"

Mark opens his eyes and then looks down at Lyn with his wide smile that is still plastered on his face.

"Yes. It is just that when I see new places like this, I enjoy seeing it for the first time in a bird's-eye view."

Mark looks forward at the city and scans it while staying put. He then extends his hand out and turns to Lyn.

"This is Bulgar, then?"

Lyn nods and joins in the view."This is Bulgar, the biggest city in all of Sacae. It is also the capital but that's not why we came here. I wanted to come here first because I know it has one of the largest merchant plazas and we were low on food. So while we are here we should purchase supplies for our journey."

"You do not have that much gold though. I looked a little while ago and you only had a few coins."

"That's why we kept all of that other stuff. We can trade it for food and other necessities." Lyn looks back over to Mark. "Still though, those few coins will be enough to get you some new robes."

Lyn then proceeds to tug at the remaining strands of Mark's coat and snickers as she sees how fully decrepit they are. The only thing he has to keep the elements out is the white woolen shirt he had worn underneath. And even then, the shirt is beginning to yellow somewhat.

"Spirits know you'll need them."

Lyn lets go and tries not to laugh anymore from the poor sight before her. Mark looks at his robes and his smile disappears but he still gives a small hum of agreement. Looking out over the city, he follows Lyn across the landscape towards it and to whatever else awaits.

* * *

Lyn and Mark swerve through the masses of people as they try to get from the gate to the market plaza. The midday crowd still has not started to disperse and so they do their best not to get run over or run over others. After finally arriving at the square they are able to find a clothes merchant who came from Lycia. Mark proceeds to go through his wares. He browses through dozens of clothes related items but none of the ones offered were anything like his old cloak or even normal clothing for that matter. It all instead seemed to be a completely odd and random assortment of clothes. The items range from a white priestly robe to something the merchant swears is magically resistant to rain. Mark scoffs at that and stops looking. He then walks around the stall to Lyn.

"It does not look like this merchant has anything that is suitable."

"What about this one?"

Mark looks at what Lyn is talking about and sees that she has a greenish-brown looking garment in her hands. Lyn unfolds it to show that it is a simple cloak with a hood which would easily fit over his shirt. He takes it from Lyn and tries it on to find that, by sheer luck, it is the right size. Mark then takes it off and inspects it for any holes or loose trimmings but he finds that it is well made and in good condition.

He looks up and smiles at Lyn. "It's perfect actually."

Lyn beams and then turns towards the merchant to get his attention.

"Sir? How much is this cloak worth?"

"Huh?"

The merchant returns his gaze back to Mark and Lyn as he had been working with other customers. He sees the garment and pauses for a second. He scowls and scratches his head but only gives a puzzled expression. After a few seconds he finally considers the offer and states the price.

"For that? Ehhh. . .Two gold pieces. It's a simple piece of cloth and I actually don't really know why I kept it."

Lyn nods her head and takes out her small coin bag. She shuffles out two coins and then drops them into the waiting palm of the merchant. She says thanks and the merchant gives a grunt in return. Lyn frowns and then turns away to give Mark his cloak. She walks out into the crowd leaving Mark to follow her while he puts it on. He moves next to her as he finishes tying the cloak together.

"He had such a sunny disposition, did he not?"

Lyn grins slightly and gives a shrug.

"He beats a merchant from Bern I met a while back. He got impatient and drove me off just as I was about to make a decision on buying something." Lyn pauses and gives a thoughtful expression. "Although at least that merchant had his wares organized. You didn't have to dig through everything with him."

Mark smiles and nods.

"Yes. This merchant obviously did not even know what was in his stock. I know somebody who might have had a heart attack at such disorganized money making." Mark lets out a brief chuckle. "I could have sworn I saw a parka."

Lyn looks back at Mark with a confused expression. "A parka? Only the Ilians wear those and a tribesman could easily burn up in it if worn on the plains. Surely he wasn't that bad."

"Two gold pieces for this?" Mark holds the edge of his cloak to show Lyn and then pushes it out so that it flows gently in the city breeze. "I could have only hoped that that was what this was worth. This cloak is very well made and it would usually go for around five pieces from where I am from _at a minimum._ Something likes this likely meant around a half or a whole month's worth of tailor must be new to the idea of business or he would already have gone bankrupt."

Lyn hums in understanding and the two begin to merge with the denser portion of the crowd. They can barely keep together as they travel in the mass of people and all of the talking meant they can barely hear one another. After a while of slowly slogging their way through, Lyn feels Mark tug her robes so she stops to turn around. She soon found out though that this was a mistake as the crowd pushes her forward.

"Ah!"

Mark is able to get to her and starts to pull her to the side of the street. Taking shelter near a merchant stall they both try to get their bearings. Mark shuffles around the satchels that he carries and turns to Lyn. "Where should we be going next? Food or go and exchange what we have for something else?"

Lyn steps up on her toes and cranes her neck to look around and can only see an ocean of heads wandering about every which way. She notes that there would not be much room if they were to wade out. She relaxes and slumps a little bit. Sighing she says, "We would first want to sell what we don't need, but the crowds seem to be in the way of the stall that we would want to do it at. It would be too much of a hassle right now and I don't really care to be jostled about again."

Mark shakes his head in wonder. "How could there be this many people? Surely not everyone would come out to shop all at once."

Lyn shrugs. "I think the summer solstice might be in a few days and so some members of the tribes might be here to get extra supplies for any celebrations."

Mark's smirk widens into a big smile. "Celebrations? I like celebrations, they are always fun. A person being drunk is a great sight to see. What should we be celebrating?"

Lyn laughs. "The solstice." Lyn moves to look at the nearest stall which contained a mixture of wicker weavings. "You know of course that most others, especially those from Etruria, follow the teachings of Saint Elimine. However, the Sacean tribes still mainly worship the spirits and the summer solstice is considered a sacred time for us." Lyn picks up a small intricately woven basket and examines it. Turning it around a couple of times, she gently smiles and puts it back down. "My father always said that it was the time when the spirit world was closest to ours and so the festivities were for the benefit of the spirits. Of course, my mother just said it had to do with the length of day."

Mark leans against the wall of a building as Lyn continues to tell him about the solstice celebrations. She regales Mark about the last celebration when her tribe had lit a small bonfire and how it almost set someone's robes ablaze. She quickly grows quiet, however, and Mark knows better than to ask her to continue. A few minutes later the crowds do not seem to be thinning any time soon and Mark begins to fidget. Since Lyn had stopped talking, he cannot even focus on listening. He looks over to Lyn but sees that she apparently has more patience than him and so pushing himself straight he takes off his satchels. Mark walks over to Lyn and makes a suggestion, "How about you give me a few coins and the bags for our food and I will go see if I can find a food stall. That way while you're waiting for the crowds to thin I can be getting a few things."

Lyn shrewdly looks at Mark and shakes her head, breaking into a small smile. "I had no idea you were such an impatient man. Surely a master strategist should have the patience of a hunter."

Mark chuckles, looking down a bit, and shuffles his feet. "Sorry, but I've always had trouble just keeping still when doing nothing. At least this way I'm doing something useful and not just jumping in place."

Lyn giggles. "True enough. I've had more than enough experience with rabbits."

"Hey!" Mark puts on a fake expression of hurt but Lyn ignores it and throws him two fairly empty bags and their few remaining coins. His pathetic mask breaks and Mark smiles as he hands her his bags in exchange. "Thank you. Meet you back here?"

Lyn looks out at the masses and sees that they appear to be thinning. The shoppers seem to be heading away from the market centre while others make their way into some of the buildings marking the edge of the plaza.

"I might actually be finished by the time you get the food so why not just head back to the entrance gate when you're done."

Mark angles his head to the side. "Surely gathering food cannot take that long?"

"Food that will last us?" Lyn only gives him a hesitant smile. "Maybe?"

Mark smirks and waves his hand to the side as if to say he did not believe her. "Come on, it's food. In a city this big, it will not take too long."

* * *

Over an hour later and Mark just finishes buying the last bit of food he can. He hands over what remains of the coin purse and he looks up and sees that the sun had past its apex a few hours ago. Mark lets out a small exasperated sigh while he situates the bread he bought into the food bag causing the grocer to give him a sympathetic look. This was the sixth stall he had visited and it was only the second he had bought food at. The first stall's merchant wanted extortionate prices for a single slice of bread while he had found out that the salted meat of the second apparently had not been salted enough. Mark stifles a shiver as he tries to get the memory of that rotten smell out of his mind. The third and fifth stalls had sold out of any non-perishables as the nomads had gotten there before him. Luckily, the fourth one apparently had not been touched and the merchant was rather desperate to sell something.

_Maybe I should not have been so quick to dismiss the possibility. Especially after that sad look she gave me._

Mark shrugs the thought away and then asks the grocer where the southern gate is. The merchant points behind Mark back toward the merchant square. He thanks the man and then turns directly around to head back up the street he came down. He tries not to laugh at the fact that he had made almost a full circle around the city to get what he could. He walks back through an obviously less crowed centre and silently wishes that he and Lyn had waited a bit before entering Bulgar.

_Hey, at least this way we are able to start traveling sooner. An entire world to see! New people, new places, new - is that a tome?_

Mark's eyes had caught sight of a heavy looking book on top of a table causing his wagon of thought to de-wheel. He quickly swivels in mid-step and heads over to the stall where the tome resided. He walks over and stops beside a green armored knight who is looking at the assorted weapons. The table is covered with them and other accessories of various sorts. From swords to axes to spears, this stall had it all and all of it appeared in good quality. None of that was what Mark cared about though. Instead, his eyes were locked on the thickly bound book with complex looking writing on the cover. Mark picks up the book and his mind races with possibilities about what it might be when he sees the shining script on the cover.

_ It is a tome! Fire? Thunder? Or maybe I'll get really lucky and it will be a bolting! Weird cover though, nothing like what I've seen._

Mark can barely contain himself as he opens up the tome to a page and begins reading the words of gibberish. And it really is gibberish.

_What! B-but ... what is this?! _

Mark cannot read a single word and the scribbles and diagrams do not look familiar in the slightest. He is crestfallen and he tries not to whimper. Mark tries to make some sense out of it but he does not have any luck no matter how hard he stares at the writing. He quits and looks over his shoulder and sees the green knight is now holding two horses and ruffling one's mane. In front of the green knight, the owner seems to be finishing his argument with a red knight who has thankfully been keeping the smith's attention away from the person holding a magic tome with envious eyes. Mark walks up to them and catches the tail-end of their conversation.

The smith shakes his head. "Sorry, but your best chances are just to find another tribe. There'd be no sense to the girl you're looking for being out on her own."

The red knight responds with a hint of desperation in his voice. "Then what other tribe could I go to? I've already spoken with someone from the Kutolah tribe and he was the one who revealed this to me in the first place!"

"Other than asking another member of the Kutolah, the only other tribe I can think of would be the Djute. They live on the far western plains though, so I don't think they would know anything."

With that, the knight groans and steps back, looking up toward the sky. "Gods help me." He wipes his face with both hands and the green knight walks over to him with a soft smile.

"Come on, Kent. It'll be fine. All we need to do is keep asking."

The green knight looks back over and sees Mark. He smiles and turns back to Kent. "Here, what about this chap? He looks like a traveler. Maybe he knows something about her?"

Kent turns around and notices Mark. "Sain, he's not even Sacaen why would- " Kent stops and just wipes his face with his hands. He looks at Mark who just stands there and after Mark doesn't move, a quizzical look appears on his face. "Are you wanting something?"

"Oh! Um. . ." Mark jumps slightly but he quickly walks up towards the knight and opens the tome. He flips to a filled page, points to the lettering and asks, "What language is this?"

"That there would be ancient Elibean. Are you looking to buy that or are you just curious?"

Mark looks back toward the smith who is starting to clean up a sword and the blacksmith skeptically looks back. Mark gets the feeling that the merchant thinks him a thief and he slowly places the tome back down onto the stall's table. Mark gives him an awkward smile. The merchant continues to stare indifferently; he has seen better smiles on a pickpocket.

"I was just curious because I could not read it and I have never seen a tome with that type of script."

The smith raises an eyebrow and puts down the cloth that he was using to wipe the sword. "What other type of script would there be? Any random book of magic that's been sold to me has been in that. None of them have made a lick of sense so it shouldn't be that surprising."

Sain butts in. "Also, usually only mages or priests have the training and knowledge to be able to use them even if you could read it. Are you a mage?"

Mark turns around. "Yes, I-!" Mark stops and then thinks for a second. Mage isn't really his job description. His head drops down from the realization. "Well not technically, I am training more to become a tactician but I. . ."

"But if you can't read the script then you can't do magic. Listen son, magic just doesn't come-"

Mark rolls his eyes as the merchant starts his spiel andinterrupts him before he can finish. "-out of nowhere. Yes, yes, I have heard that plenty of times before. But, you're wrong." Mark puffs up a little.

So _he thinks I do not know anything, huh? Well I can fix that because I am _not _stupid._

"While you usually don't see mages without tomes, magic can be molded and used without one. Tomes are only used because they serve as great catalysts. Magic comes from the person themselves and a very talented mage can be so in tune with it that they can create spells without a tome. A mage might not willingly use magic without a tome since it is so exhausting but it _is_ possible. Trust me, I may just be a wandering tactician but I do know how magic works."

The smith just stands there with a dumb expression on his face. "Well ... I don't know about that but-"

Kent shakes his head at the conversation going on and looks back to his companion who has mysteriously vanished with the horses. Mark hears the knight mutter a small curse as he situates his armor. He interrupts the smith before the smith can ask for a demonstration from Mark. "I apologize sir, but I fear my companion is about to make quite a fool of himself. Is my sword clean?"

The smith shuts his mouth and grumbles but he grabs the cloth and finishes wiping the sword. He gives it to the knight and Kent looks it over, nods his thanks, and then starts quickly walking toward the gate. The merchant turns back to Mark to continue the argument but Mark is already starting to walk away while cheerfully waving back.

"Sorry, but I should get going as well. Thanks for the information!"

The merchant is left to grumble even more. Mark starts to jog towards the exit and he soon catches up with Kent. He opens his mouth to ask the knight who he is looking for but stops when he sees Lyn loitering in front of the gate. Lyn sees him and waves to which Mark waves back. She starts to move in his direction through the groups of people in her way, paying no attention to the green knight and two horses as they casually stroll towards her.

"Oh, my heart! What a dazzling vision of loveliness!"

Lyn looks around quickly but with all of the talk near the gate she doesn't connect the voice to the green knight coming in from the side.

"Hm?"

Lyn pauses for an instant and frowns slightly but then quickly shakes her head. Unknowingly ignoring the knight, she continues back in Mark's direction. The knight grows a slightly hurt expression but it doesn't stop him though. He continues his flirtatious advances unabated and unaware as to Mark and Kent standing in front of him on the other side of the horses. Sain speaks out to call Lyn's attention, one of his arms up as if to stop her.

"Wait, O beauteous one! Would you not favor me with your name? Or better yet, your company?"

Mark pulls a hand up to smother a laugh when he sees Lyn's eyebrows comically shoot up and her body twirl around as she finally realizes who was shouting. The armored knight now stands in front of her. With a wide smile, he does his best to put on a charming disposition. Mark judges that by Lyn's eyes narrowing and her body shifting into a defensive stance he is not doing a very good job. Mark feels a gentle nudge on his arm and turns toward the red knight who has a sullen expression on his face.

"Is she a friend of yours?"

Mark nods his head

Kent narrows his eyes a bit. "Are you not going to help her? She's doesn't look like she's enjoying this after all."

Mark smiles and shakes his head. "She will be fine. If he goes too far I am certain that by the time all is said and done, the only one who is going to be harassed is the guy." Mark slightly nudges the knight in return with a smirk. "What about you? He is a friend of yours right? Why do _you_ not stop him?"

"He is friend of sorts, I guess." Kent says with a sigh. He looks back towards the one-sided conversation and sees Sain continue on with his complements while Lyn just stands there, her hand slightly twitching. The crowds pass the scene with looks of sympathy for both involved. Kent rubs his forehead and explains, "I'm not saving him from embarrassment because of the same reasoning. I'm hoping that, for once, he's flirting with someone who will knock some sense into him."

They both then return their focus to the conversation just as Lyn gets fed up. She is still twitching when the green knight slows down enough to where she can talk. She asks with as much forced politeness as she can muster, "Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?"

The knight perks up even more than he was already. With a smile even goofier than Mark's he says, "Ha! I thought you'd never ask!"

Mark barely hears Lyn mutter, "It's not like you gave me a chance."

The knight, however, clearly misses it and with an immense amount of obvious pride says, "I am from Lycia. I hail from Caelin canton, home to men of passion and fire!"

Lyn's eyes roll and she retorts with, "Shouldn't that be 'home to callow oafs with loose tongues'?"

Sain looks sad and shrinks a little but he isn't discouraged completely. He quickly regains his composure and with a smile continues right along. "Oooooh. . .You're even lovely when you're cruel."

Mark can only stare in wonder at the knight's determination. "Wow, he is dense."

Kent looks on with only a blank expression; evidently he's had to watch this plenty of times already. He agrees with a blunt, "Yes."

Lyn herself remains silent for a little while with her mouth open and her face contorted with both disbelief and disgust. Finally she gives a shake of her head and quickly turns around to Mark not bothering to even look at the green knight. She shifts the bags she carries and then walks around the horses to where the two observers are standing. Stopping in front of them she shouts, "Let's go, Mark! I've nothing more to say." She throws a few bags at Mark who dutifully catches them.

"Wait! Please. . ." The green knight has managed to turn the horses around in front of the two and begins to plead but he's cut off by Kent.

"Sain! Hold your tongue!" Kent walks forward with a scowl over his face as he takes the reins of his horse.

Sain turns toward him with a confused look. "Ah, Kent! My boon companion! Why so severe an expression?"

Kent fumes, "If your manner were more serious, I wouldn't have to be so severe! We still have a mission to complete, Sain!"

Sain sighs and his smile disappears. "I know that. But how could I remain silent in the presence of such beauty?" To emphasize his point, he reaches his free hand out to gesture toward Lyn who still looks peeved. He returns his attention to Kent to explain, "It would have been discourteous!"

Kent snaps, "What do you know of courtesy?!"

"Excuse me?"

The two quarreling knights stop and turn to Lyn and Mark who are still standing there.

Kent calms himself. "Yes, ma'am?"

"You're blocking the road." Lyn points to their steeds who are keeping her and Mark from moving towards the gate. "If you would be so kind as to move your horses ..."

Kent quickly realizes the issue and bows his head. "Of course, my apologies ..."

He moves further to Sain's side and pulls his horse along with him to make a path. Lyn smiles slightly and starts to move forward with Mark in tow. She gives a nod to the red knight. "Thank you. You, at least, seem honourable enough."

This causes Sain to pout a little but Kent instead creases his brow. He's noticed something. "Hm?" He moves forward and softly calls out to her, "Pardon me, but ... I feel we've met before."

Lyn stops again and she looks back in his direction, wary. She thinks a little and then turns to face the knight completely. "I beg your pardon?"

Kent is about to explain further but Sain launches himself into the conversation before Kent can start. "Hey! No fair, Kent!" Sain exclaims in an annoyed tone, "I saw her first."

Lyn's face changes expressions from uncertainty, realization, and then again to disgust in a second. "Tsk!" She quickly whirls around and stomps off leaving the two knights and Mark behind. "It seems there are no decent men among Lycia's knights!"

Kent tries to catch her to explain himself but his horse chooses this moment to be stubborn in moving. Kent shouts out, "Wait, please! It's not like that." His pleading falls on deaf ears as Lyn continues to move to the gate.

Mark looks between Kent who is now staring Sain down with a look that would kill if there was any force behind it and then back to the quickly receding Lyn. He yells out to her, "Hold on, Lyn! The green knight was mistaken!"

Lyn only spares a moment to look back and shout at Mark to move on. "Let's go, Mark! I've run out of patience!"

Mark looks back and gives an apologetic smile to Kent before he runs out the gate. "I am coming, Lyn! Hold on a second! Please!"

Now completely alone, Kent is left to hang his head while Sain just stares out at the retreating duo completely dazed. Kent jerks around to face his troublesome companion. "Sain, you lout! What perfidious spirit possessed you to think that I was trying something like that?!"

"Huh?" Sain snaps out of his daze and rubs his neck while sheepishly looking down. Sain mutters, "Not like that? I thought you were. . ."

"I am NOT you!" Kent quickly moves to the side of his horse and jumps on. He gathers his reins and makes sure all of his belongings are stable on the saddle. He gives a quick glance at Sain and points at Sain's horse. "Come, we must follow her. I suspect she might be-"

Kent is cut off as Sain exclaims, "Be what? She is our mission? You're joking." Kent answers him with another sharp glare and then kicks his horse into a fast canter. Sain's face drains of color as he does his best to get on his horse. "Wait!"

The two knights dash out of Bulgar's gates and tear into the woods. Whoever this girl was, she surely had not gotten too far.

* * *

_**Author's Notes (11/04/15):****The end . . . maybe . . . probably not- yeah OK let's just continue on. Hello readers! Here we meet the knightly duo. Fire Emblem's obligatory hard-ass knight in Kent and the obligatory Casanova wannabe in Sain. I can just imagine all of the trouble these two have got into before being sent on this fetch quest. (And that's what it was supposed to be wasn't it? Poor sods.) They're like your two stereotypical college roommates. The one who loves to party way too much and the other a total party killer.**_

_**We also see Mark get his "iconic" green coat. He can't go walking around naked can he? *Proceeds to ignore the fact he has a shirt and pants.***_

_**So. . .yeah. This chapter was entirely interaction and world-building. . .Not sorry? Sorry? *shrugs* I'm noticing that the word count is exploding though. I might be having pacing issues, so if you think this chapter was too long let me know. You'll definitely have to read at least this much for the next chapter but I'll be damned if I split Sword of Spirits into two. Next chapter there's a large fight. And the plot gets rolling after only. . .7 chapters. . .oh well. Until next time!**_


	7. Footsteps of Fate (II)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken._ Any and all canon characters and settings are property of Intelligent Systems. I also do not claim anything non-canon that might appear, yadda yadda yadda.

Criticism always welcome.

* * *

Bandits have never been known for their talents but Zugu at least considered himself better than most. After all, how many other bandits had the strength and respect to be able to lead a group of men that was almost as large as one of the Ganelon leaders? Definitely not that idiot Batta who kept refusing to capture women and children to sell, that's for sure. He kept telling Batta that such ventures were what enabled the Ganelon leaders to become so powerful, but Batta was adamant and so only joined in on the looting. Zugu scowls just thinking about it. As far as Sacaen bandits went, he saw Batta as a weakling. He still held onto some sense of honor, even when he was an unrepentant criminal with a fine eye for shiny things. Zugu was all too happy when he left and took the less desirables of his group, especially now that Zugu was about to add on murder to his list of crimes.

Yes, he and his group were heading off to search for a particular person to kill. Zugu tried to recollect how this had started. Some Lycian messenger or something had come into his camp, a foolish thing to do but he had to admit he must have had balls, and gave him an offer. The messenger went on to explain that his master was looking to off some tribes girl because of some inheritance dispute or something. Honestly, Zugu had zoned out when he had heard how much the Lycian's master was willing to pay to have this done. For putting a random defenseless girl down, he would be given enough money to potentially buy a small estate. With one simple stroke, Zugu could stop living like a normal bandit and start living the fine life of a more successful criminal. Like a cutthroat merchant or maybe even a noble. He entertains other dreams of power when he is interrupted by one of his newer grunts running up to him and shouting something incoherent.

The grunt continues to ramble on causing Zugu to sigh. He raises his arm, pulls it back, and then clocks the bandit over the head to make him stop. Zugu steps up to the now fallen bandit and harshly jerks him back up.

"Calm down, ya stupid git, before I make ya calm down!" Zugu rocks the still grabbed man back and forth to force the point across. The bandit immediately stops talking and seems to get a hold of himself.

Zugu gives a gruff nod and then lets go of the now stock still bandit.

"Now then. What is it that's got yer knickers in such a twist?"

"ZuguHeyUhThatGirlWeBeen . . ." The bandit begins to rattle off his tale fast again but quickly slows down when Zugu hefts his axe. "Sorry, sorry! That girl. Ya know the one we've been tailin'? Or at least tryin' to anyway?" The bandit asks, apparently not knowing whether his leader knew or not. He exchanges a few nervous glances with a few of the other bandits that have started to gather.

Zugu scowls and rolls his eyes.

"Noooo . . . Are ya talkin' about the girl that will make me the richest bandit this side of the Bern mountains? The girl ya were supposed to be lookin' for out near Bulgar?"

The grunt nods.

"OF COURSE I KNOW ABOUT THAT GIRL! WHO DO YA THINK I SENT YA OUT TO LOOK FOR!"

Zugu breathes in from his sudden outburst and then violently grabs the bandit again.

"Now, did ya see her or not?"

"Yeah, get on with it!" Another shout comes from the bandits that have circled their leader and the shrimp. They are also getting impatient as any news of this girl means they are that much closer to their large pay day.

The new guy is pale and paralyzed with fear but he is somehow able to nod his head.

"Ye-yeah. Saw some green haired tribes girl head into B-Bulgar an hour or two ago. I ran here as fast as I could to tell ya. B-but Zugu, the girl-"

Zugu shoves the newbie back; he didn't need to listen to him finish his report because he had all the information he needed. The bandit lands with a thud in between a few others who chuckle and then grab him, hefting him to his feet. Zugu takes his axe and lifts it into the air and, shouting at the top of his lungs, he gathers the attention of his troop.

"Alright ya trash, over here! We found her!"

Cheers go up through the temporary bandit camp while the few who did not come to see the commotion walk away from their fires. It's time for them to listen to their leader. Once everyone is surrounding him, Zugu continues his speech.

"For one bloody month we've been searchin' for this runt and now, boys, we have news of where she is!"

A few hurrahs go out but most stay quiet to listen.

"The newbie here was sent to Bulgar and by pure luck he saw her! Get yer stuff, pack yer weapons, we are heading out. We'll tail her, take her head, and by the end of this week we'll be the richest bandits since Old Ganelon himself! Not even his own whelps can say that. Now let's go, the runt's waitin' !"

With a chorus of yells the men move with the single-minded focus only bloodthirsty bandits can muster. The small camp is gone in no time and the bandits start to move back into the loose forest, letting the few trees give them shade from the midday sun. Zugu, as always, is in the lead with his head held high for once. And why shouldn't he? The spirits were actually looking down on him favorably for once. However, the new bandit runs up to him, disturbing his good mood.

"Zugu, wait."

Zugu whirls around, causing the whole troop to stop. A few reflexively step back from the intense glare he is giving. The grunt is scared stiff again and can only mumble out what he was about to say. Zugu waits, his stare never changing, but after the bandit doesn't continue his mumbles, he waves the rest of the bandits forward. They pass the two with a few having smiles as they imagine what their leader will do to this upstart weakling. After the group passes him, Zugu stomps to within a hairs breadth of the cowering follower and then, through clenched teeth, he demands, "What. Is it."

"T-the girl isn't alone." The bandit sputters. "There was s-some guy with her."

Zugu barely tilts his head a degree and asks, "Did he look armed?"

The bandit nervously shakes his head. "No, and his clothes were in tatters. He barely looked healthy."

"Then he isn't an issue." Zugu then grabs the bandit and throws him in the direction of the rest of his bandits. "NOW GET A MOVE ON! I ONLY HAVE SO MUCH PATIENCE AND YOU'RE KEEPIN' ME FROM A SMALL FORTUNE!"

The bandit quickly picks himself up and runs off, leaving Zugu to follow him. Under his breath, Zugu grumbles, "That Lycian didn't tell me anything about her having company. Doesn't matter though. How much trouble can a young rat and her sick dog really give?"

* * *

A few hours later and the young rat and her dog are making their way through the wooded path just outside of Bulgar. Lyn is not in a good mood after having a small altercation with two Lycian knights. She is heavily trudging along the path and the bags she's carrying are not helping her mood any. They slap against her back with a resounding 'thud' after every step. Mark follows her without a sound, a fact that Lyn is thankful for. Even if Mark would mean well with any good-natured attempts to lighten her mood, she has had enough of "good-natured attempts" for one day.

_Who did they think I was? I'm not some. . . some frivolous dainty who can be wooed with mere compliments! You can't just go up to me - _anyone -_ and expect that! Why the nerve of those-_

So wrapped up in her own personal distaste, she barely notices Mark slow down and completely misses how his face goes blank. A second later, she at least hears him jog up to her. Mark gives a small tap on her shoulder and Lyn's head swivels around. Expecting to see a grin on his face or hear some joke to try to get her to smile coming from his lips, she is shocked to see nothing of the sort. His expression is serious; his mouth is taught and unnatural glassy eyes look straight ahead. They are not paying the slightest bit of attention to Lyn. He doesn't stop moving though and even slightly pushes Lyn to keep her going forward. She wonders what is wrong and looks up ahead to see if she can figure anything out. However, she sees nothing but the surrounding trees and grass. Next, she twists her head back, squinting as the sun shines in her eyes. Her eyes follow the path back to the hill they had marched over and she finally notices the small dust cloud that's coming out from behind it.

_**Look forward and keep moving. **_

Lyn looks to Mark questioningly but does what she is told. She looks dead ahead and strains her hearing. She tries to make out anything to ease her growing worry and confusion. She can barely make out the growing sound of feet stomping on dirt and two men arguing in the distance. Instantly growing even more nervous, her hands move to her sword.

_Who are they?_

Lyn waits, expecting an answer, but she soon realizes that Mark's presence is not filling her head anymore. She again looks to him and sees that his look still seems far away, as if he's not really looking forward at the road but through it and even the earth.

"Mark?" Lyn whispers and slightly nudges him. "What's going on?"

Lyn watches curiously as his eyes change back from a milky white to their light silver. He looks down and gives his wide grin again. Lyn's mind eases a little but she remains tense when she notices that the smile seems slightly forced.

"Hey, you know what? We should go walking through the woods for a little while."

"What?"

Lyn is now completely confused but Mark gently takes her arm and leads her off the path. They both walk over the loose brush and in between the trees, moving further away from the cleared road. Lyn looks to see Mark's face has returned to its distant gaze once again and so she elbows him to get his attention. He turns and she sees that his eyes haven't changed back. Her eyes probe him and her mouth sets into a slight frown. Mark makes a slight nod of his head pointed back and then quickly goes back to blankly staring into space. Lyn turns around slightly and sees that there are two men in the distance doing their best not to be seen. Lyn's hands squeeze the handle of her sword and her breath catches at what Mark says next.

_**I fear we are walking into a trap.**_

Lyn sees that the men have now walked off the path as well and are following them. Lyn grabs Mark's arm and pulls him forward while she pumps her legs. They continue to dash away further into the wilderness. The two men notice this and start their pursuit. Mark stumbles a bit as he regains his presence.

"Lyn!"

"Run! We're being pursued!"

"This way!"

Mark grabs Lyn's arm and pulls her onto a new heading back towards the road. Lyn's mind scrambles to come up with an answer as to who would chase them while they both jump over broken branches and the occasional bush.

"Could it be the knights from town?"

"Knights would not leave their horses behind, especially if they were chasing someone!"

Lyn chances a look back and sees the two pursuers more clearly now. Big men with pathetic excuses for clothes charge after them with heavy axes. Lyn's adrenaline rushes when she sees their crazed looks. She immediately sets about running faster, trying to calm herself in between gasps of breath.

"No. . .you're right. . .It's not them. These men are out for blood!"

Lyn and Mark do their best to gain distance in between them and the two bandits while they try to run to the cleared path. Finally they are able to make it but before they can set about fleeing towards Bulgar a large man jumps out from behind a tree. The man blocking their path has a blocky face, a heavy five-o-clock shadow, and a scar going across his left eye. This is not to mention the big dirty axe the man is carrying. Lyn moves in front of Mark while she quickly unsheathes her sword. The bandit meanwhile only moves directly onto the path as the two others catch up and cut off any retreat. The large one finally takes a step forward with a wicked grin springing up onto his face.

"Heh heh hehhh. . .Aren't you the pretty one! Your name is Lyndis, is it not?"

Lyn's eyes widen and she takes a step back.

_ "_What did you call me? . . . Who are you?"

_**Lyn, we are surrounded.**_

Lyn frowns and gives a scowl.

_You don't think I know that?!_

_**That is not what I mea-**_

Before Mark can finish the thought the bandit mockingly despairs, "Such a waste. An absolute waste. The things I'll do for gold. . ."

The bandit brings his axe to the ready.

"Ah, well. Time to die, darlin'. C'mon out, boys!"

Suddenly even more bandits come out from the trees and grass. Lyn counts three new bandits moving to complete the circle while Mark counts five other bandits in the nearby area.

_**There are eleven bandits in total.**_

Lyn gulps and her eyes flick around her.

_Oh, no! There are more bandits than I can handle. . ._

Thankfully, instead of panicking, her pride gets the better of her. She grits her teeth and sets her stance.

_But I'll not give up._

Before the bandits can move in for the kill, Lyn hears a voice shout out over the commotion.

"Hey! There she is!"

The large bandit's face turns into a scowl as he looks back to the hill. His expression quickly transforms into one of shock.

"Huh?"

Lyn herself isn't able to see through the still circling bandits. Whoever it is, it sounded like they wanted something from her as well.

"What?"

A soft rumble can be felt causing a few bandits to look back to where the voice came from. Lyn hears the growing sound of hoof beats while the surrounding bandits stop moving. By this time, everyone is looking back towards the hill as two horsemen come charging down it, spears ready. Mark's mouth breaks into a wide grin as he realizes what's about to happen.

"The cavalry has arrived!"

The two knights tear through the circle and almost run down two bandits before they can jump from the path of the two careening horses. A few bandits do their best to keep the circle maintained but most of them start to back off and move around towards their leader. The red knight moves his horse to cover their backs while the green knight pushes his in between Lyn and the others. The green knight takes a breath as he reforms the grip on his spear.

"Whew. . .finally caught up. . ."

He then levels his spear and points it at the lead bandit.

"Hold! You there! What is your business? Such numbers against a girl? Cowards, every one of you!"

The bandits have reformed back behind their leader but the appearance of the two knights keeps them from immediately attacking. Lyn regains her senses when she finally recognizes the two knights.

"You! You're from- "

Kent interrupts her when he finishes moving his horse into the middle of the two parties. He stops just in front of Lyn and sends a quick glance towards her.

"We can discuss that later."

He turns toward Lyn and offers her a hand. Behind him, a nervous looking bandit shuffles next to the leader.

"Zugu, what are we-"

Zugu slaps the bandit away and growls. "Shut yer trap! C'mon men, there's only four of 'em. Take 'em down!"

Their group starts to move forward causing the knights to tense up. Quickly, Kent leans down to grab Lyn's arm and then awkwardly pulls her up onto the saddle. Sain does the same with Mark and he has an easier time too since his baggage isn't fighting with him. The bandits realize that their target is about to run off and charge forward with axes ready to swing. The knights take off with their new found luggage holding on for dear life. The four soon end up on the hill and allow their passengers to get off. Mark looks curiously from the bandit group and then at the two knights.

"It would be safer to run you know."

Sain turns his horse and readies his lance but he still looks at his companion and agrees. "He has a point Kent."

Kent overlooks the approaching bandit group as they split into two. A group of five lead by their leader heads towards a nearby river. The other one marches directly toward them. He quickly looks at Mark and then answers, "Yes, but we need to be heading south and these men are in our way. They won't leave us be unless we deal with them."

Mark is confused; Bulgar is to the North, a direction which is safe. He parrots back, "South?"

Kent ignores Mark to look at Lyn and states, "It appears these ruffians mean to do you harm."

He then stares at the larger group approaching from below the hill and through the trees.

"If it's a fight they want, let them look to me!"

Lyn huffs and re-grips her sword. She begins to move next to Kent but Sain pulls in front of her. Ever the haughty one, he motions her back with a hand. "Stand back! I'll take care of this."

Lyn snaps back, "No!"

She moves around Sain and glares at him.

"This is my fight! Stay out of my way!"

Sain shrinks away and pleads. "Well, I can't just stand here and do nothing. . ."

Mark looks from the bandits at their front, to Sain and Kent, and then finally to Lyn. With a dubious look, he tries to get Lyn to listen to reason.

"Lyn, please be smart about this. You said yourself that there are too many for you to handle."

Lyn starts to hesitate after hearing this when Kent comes up with a suggestion. He brings his horse beside Mark.

"I have a solution. You there, you said that you were trained as a tactician?"

Mark nods his head.

"Command us then. I am Kent, a Knight of Lycia and my companion is called Sain." He turns in his saddle to face Lyn. "If it is acceptable milady, we will follow his orders in this battle."

Lyn's hesitation lasts only a second and she quickly agrees. "Yes, it is. Mark and I will lead!"

Lyn then looks to Mark who she hopes has a plan. The fact that Mark's face has broken from its serious state back to its natural smirk assures her that he does. Mark focuses on the two knights and points toward the larger group coming down the road.

"We will focus on the main group first. Kent, Sain? I want you two to push through their middle and cut their group in half. They are too spread out to reform so you should have room to do that. Then take to the woods to regroup and do it again. Do not try to fully engage them. We need to take care of their numbers first by hitting and then running. Lyn and I will try to take out any that break from the group. We'll deal with them one at a time."

Mark then faces Lyn and gives her a confident nod. Lyn smiles and then orders them to start.

"Let's go!"

At once, the two knights charge forth surprising the bandits. By the time the bandits realize that maybe spreading out was a bad idea, the two horses are already on them. Even with the few trees in the way, the two bandits in the middle are forced to move. Kent's is able to dodge but Sain's isn't so lucky. The bandit tries to turn around and duck behind a tree but he doesn't make it in time before Sain's spear takes out a part of his neck. The speeding duo continue running past the bandits and then move to turn around. Sain makes his spear twirl a little and then lets out a whoop.

"The gods above direct my arm!"

With one of their own having been killed right before their eyes and the one who did it rubbing it in their faces, all of the bandits turn to face the more important threat. In doing so, they unwisely choose to ignore the smaller one creeping up on them.

_Which one should I go for?_

_**Go for the leftmost one. He is closest.**_

Lyn dashes out from behind a tree and charges towards the nearby bandit. The bandit stops his movement when he hears her come crashing out of the brush and readies himself. When Lyn gets near enough the bandit swings his axe at her gut, but Lyn easily dodges and then moves back in to swipe at him with her sword. She is only able to give him a shallow cut up the thigh but it keeps the bandit from quickly responding. Lyn stops beside a tree and jumps back when the counter attack goes through where she was. It buries itself into a tree and Lyn takes the opportunity to finish him off before the bandit can pull it out. Quicker than the man can find his grip again, Lyn swings her sword at his neck. She leaves him to bleed out as she sees that the two bandits nearest her have swung around at the commotion. She hesitates when they split off to surround her but Mark is there to tell her what to do.

_**Pull back and run to your left. Circle around them but do not attack.**_

She immediately does so and runs off. The two bandits go after her and ignore the two knights now at their back. These two honor bound knights are able see that their lady is now in danger. Their being ignored is convenient and so they too ignore their prior targets and rush past them, moving in an arc which puts them in a perfect position to come up from behind. Of course, since it's hard to ignore the noise of a fully loaded horse even when coming from behind, the two bandits turn around just in time to make a decision. Sain's is smart enough to jump away but Kent's is only halfway through his swing when a speeding sword cuts into his face. By this time, Lyn had turned around and had decided to take the initiative. Lyn sprints and is able to get to the recovering bandit before he can fully prepare. She is able to cut him on the shoulder. She turns around just when the man finally settles his footing. He lets out a vicious snarl.

"You're in for it now!"

The man bounds forward and his axe goes sailing out in front of him. Lyn dodges this strike and then the next. She is barely able to duck behind a tree when he aims his axe for her head. Once again, a tree proves to be someone's undoing when the axe chips at the tree causing the bandit to lose his balance. Wide open, Lyn is able to jab her sword into his gut. Lyn yanks the blade and the sword is thankfully released from its morbid resting position. Panting heavily, Lyn stumbles back and quickly looks around.

_Where are the two knights?_

_**Finishing up.**_

Lyn finally notices the two run down the last bandit. Apparently while she was busy with the one they missed, they had once again circled around and come into contact with the remaining two. The first of the two was already on the ground. Lyn sees Sain make a feint that should have been obvious to anyone as he passes by the last bandit. The bandit was apparently not anyone and so jumps away just in time to get taken out by Kent's sword. Lyn slumps a little bit.

_They make it look so easy. . ._

_**They are trained knights up against inexperienced bandits. I did not expect us to do quite this well but with those two it is not a complete surprise. **_

_I guess I will just have to do better then._

_**Baby steps Lyn, baby steps.**_

Lyn growls, _I am no baby!_

"Did that dirty rouge dare insult your skills?"

Lyn turns around to find that Kent and Sain had come up to join her while she was having her internal conversation. Kent's head is on a swivel while he checks the surrounding area but Sain looks down at her with concern. Lyn realizes she must have accidently let her annoyance out in a more vocal fashion. She swears that she could hear Mark laughing a little ways away and not sure what else to do she just agrees.

"Yes."

Sain looks at the fallen bandit. "Well, he was certainly wrong in his judgment then."

Kent meanwhile moves beside Lyn while still searching for something. "Where is Mark? I thought he would have been with you the entire time but I didn't see him during our second pass nor did I see him anywhere in our surroundings during our third."

Lyn shrugs but starts looking as well. "He probably stayed on the hill to keep safe. He doesn't have a weapon after all."

Kent sighs. "I guess then we need to go back and make sure he's well."

"That will not be necessary."

The three of them turn around to see a blue haired tree come out from behind a bush. Mark finishes tugging a few thorns from his cloak before stopping in front of them.

Sain gives a small chuckle. "I must say that our tactician must be good at hiding to be able to keep away from Kent's view."

Kent casts a small glare back at Sain while Mark just smiles and gives a small shake of his head.

"No, Lyn was right. I did stay back on the hill. I came down once I saw that the fighting was over with."

Sain nods his head. "Ah, better yet, keen eyesight."

Kent looks back towards the hill. He sees that the few trees there are would be in the way of anyone on the hill being able to see into their small clearing. Kent voices this doubt.

"And how, if I may ask, are you able to see through trees?"

"Telepathy."

Confusion grows on Sain's face while Kent's eyes narrow at the remark.

"This is no time to be joking. There is no pride lost at just saying that you followed us. No one would have been able to see things at such a distance."

Lyn intervenes in Mark's defense. "He's telling the truth sir Kent. He is able to communicate without talking and is also able to see without actually being nearby. That's how he was directing my actions during the fight. "

Both knights turn to look at each other and then at Mark who calmly looks back. His smirk widens but his mouth moves no further.

_**If you need some sort of proof. Just see that I am talking without actually moving my lips.**_

Sain hums and then snaps his fingers.

"Ventriloquism!"

Kent sighs and just shakes his head. "Now isn't the time. We still need to deal with the other five. I am hoping you have another plan, Mark?"

Mark holds his hand up for them to wait. Kent raises an eyebrow when he sees Mark's eyes slightly change their color. After a moment, his eyes change back and he nods his head.

"Ok, their leader apparently sent two bandits to try to get us from behind. They will be approaching the hill fairly soon but we should be able to cut them off as they make their way down. And once we are done with them. . ."

* * *

"Hey Zugu, shouldn't Gerel and Khulan have been back by now?"

The newbie looks at Zugu and nearly falls face first into the shallow river. The only other following brigand doesn't give him time to recover and pushes him forward. Zugu doesn't reply and so for a moment there's just silence as they finish their crossing. When the other bandit is finally on dry land he gives a small grunt and turns to Zugu.

"The newbie is right. That hill ain't far away and didn't you just tell them to find out what was happening? All they had to do was walk there, take a look, and walk back. Nothin' too lengthy."

The newbie nods his head.

"And what about the others? They-"

"Shut it!" Zugu turns around. "I didn't send'em just to take in the scenery; I sent them to take the knights from behind! If it was just the girl then this would have already been over with but because of those blasted knights we actually have to work for it."

The bandit shakes his head and scoffs, "It's just two knights though."

The three bandits wade through the grass and bushes as they make their way toward the hill. It's when they start to cross the path where the skirmish started that the newbie comes across two bumps in their path. Two unmoving and dead bumps. The newbie comes to a halt and gapes. He calls out to the other two.

"H-hey! It's -"

"What the hell happened here?!"

The newbie jumps back as Zugu comes crashing up to the two corpses of the bandits he sent towards the hill. Zugu had also seen the two and once he gets a good look at them he lets out a roar. It looks as if they were cut down coming back. There is only one group of people in his mind who could have done this. He throws his head around looking for any sign of a tribes girl, her tag-along, and two knights.

"Where are they! I'll tear'em apart!"

"Zugu, do you hear that?"

Zugu whirls around to the other bandit and tries to listen. He need not have bothered though because he quickly sees the two knights come charging out from their left. The red one comes straight at him with his sword raised to strike. Zugu doesn't have time to raise his axe and attack so he just jumps back to the side. Zugu turns around and sees that the green knight goes for his more experienced follower. The green knight stabs at him with his spear but the bandit just steps back. The green knight is unbalanced and wobbles for a second.

"Woah! I missed?"

The two knights charge past leaving the three bandits to follow them. Zugu shouts out to the other two, "C'mon, let's go!" He motions for them to attack and the two bandits run off to try to combat the knights. Zugu takes one last look at the bodies of the other two bandits and he grumbles, "Accursed knights, always tampering in others' affairs."

Zugu raises his axe and readies himself to join in on the attack when he hears a small snap of a stick to his left.

* * *

_**Alright, the knights are coming in soon. You know what to do?**_

_Yes. Focus on the leader while the two knights keep the rest of the bandits away._

_**Great!**_

Lying prone in the nearby brush, Lyn tries to keep quiet as the three bandits come across the sight of their dead comrades. She holds her breathe when the leader starts to rage. Finally, she begins to hear the pounding hoof beats of Kent and Sain. She gets up into a crouch and is able to see the two knights charge past, missing both of their targets. Lyn sighs and settles her grip on her sword.

_Of course it wouldn't have been that easy. After all, when do things go so well in my life?_

_**Happy thoughts!**_

Lyn snorts as she starts to run at the largest bandit who decided to stay behind. The bandit turns around to notice her when he hears her rush out from her hiding spot. She makes to swing but quickly changes her decision to swinging under when the bandit is able to raise his axe in time. She runs forward a little bit and then twirls around to see the bandit already readying himself to attack. She jumps to the side and is still unable to see an opening. The bandit doesn't let up and as soon as he is done with one swipe he lets go with another one. Able to dodge but still incapable from getting in a hit, Lyn is slowly forced back.

_He's too strong! I can't get in a single swipe!_

_**You're faster than him. **_

As if to prove Mark's point, Lyn once again jukes away with speed that the bandit can't adapt to. While the bandit's blows may be fast enough to keep her from attacking, Lyn finds it just as easy to dodge each strike.

_Yes, but I'm still not fast enough to cut him without getting hit!_

_**Then maneuver away from the hits. Dodge away to his side or try to get to his back. You are always in front of him. You attack from the front if you have the strength or skill to get through his weapon, but you do not have enough of either. Attack from the side.**_

Meanwhile, the bandit continues to throw his weight around. It's obvious from the scowl on his face how frustrating it is to him that he continuously misses.

The leader spits, "Stand still you little brat!"

Lyn doesn't grant his wish. Instead, she waits until he throws an overhead strike and then jumps to his open side. She takes the chance to try to slice into his side but she isn't able to give anything more than a shallow before the large man swings around and howls. He swings wildly and his axe nearly crashes into Lyn. She stumbles back and the bandit once again goes on the offensive.

_This guy is going berserk! I need help. Mark, I need one of the knights to come and help!_

There isn't any answer and Lyn is forced to dodge and swerve away continuously. Finally, Lyn trips and falls.

"MARK!"

The bandit moves forward but before he can fully bring his axe up, a rock slams into the side of his face. The bandit's axe actually slips from his grasp as the man stumbles and nurses his new cut across the temple.

"Hey, ugly!"

The bandit is still too dazed from the attack to pay attention to the new voice. Lyn scrambles to her feet and sees Mark to the side with another rock in his hand. He throws it and it hits the man dead center in the chest. The bandit sways back and Mark points at him.

"Now, Lyn!"

Lyn nods and runs forward. The bandit has enough sense to know he's defenseless so he jumps for his axe. He gets to it and brings it around to parry an attack from his front. He finishes turning around to see that Lyn didn't bother to attack from the front. His eyes widen and he whirls around to his back just in time to see Lyn's sword pierce his neck.

"Ack-"

Lyn jumps back and allows the bandit to fall onto his face. The bandit lays on the ground, clawing at the hole in his neck. She and Mark slowly walk towards the bandit while he bleeds out.

"Blast . . . grk . . . There was only . . . supposed to be a lone . . . girl . . ."

The two look over his body for a small moment. Lyn grips her sword tighter and grits her teeth before starting to move backwards.

"We should go help the knights."

"There is no need. They are heading this way now."

She slowly lets out a breath and then stops. Her shoulders slump down. Lyn tiredly swivels her head to Mark.

"That was the last of them?"

Mark nods his head and with a grin confirms, "That was the last of them!"

Lyn lets a small smile slip onto her face and shakes her head.

"We did it. Fantastic work, Mark!"

At that, the two hear hoofs and they look to see the two knights coming up to them. Lyn's smile slips back off and she sighs.

"And now for these knights of Lycia."

"Lady Lyndis!"

The red knight trots right up to Lyn to where she can see concern etched on his face.

"Milady, are you well? We heard you shout and did our best finish our foes as quickly as possible."

Lyn sheathes her sword while shaking her head.

"I am fine, Kent. Mark saved me and I was able to deal with the bandit after that. What about you and . . ."

Lyn turns and looks up at the green knight. She squints with an uneasy expression and asks, "You . . . your name is Sain, right?"

Sain smiles wide and answers, "Yes! Sain, the gallant man of Caelin." He puffs his chest up and then slams his fist into it. He does is best to hide a grimace and then exclaims, "That's me!"

Kent lets out an exasperated sigh while Lyn rolls her eyes.

"If you insist . . . Do you need something for that cut on your leg?"

"Huh?"

Sain's expression distorts into confusion and he looks at his legs. Sure enough, behind the thin plates on his shins there is a cut where the bandit he was dealing with must have got a hit in. Lyn wonders how he couldn't feel the injury but then remembers her own experience with her arm being sliced open.

"Hey! I've been injured?"

Sain inspects it with a small scowl which quickly morphs into a soft smile when he looks back at Lyn. He gives a small laugh and brings his hand once more up to his chest.

"What a cad I am to wrinkle that perfect brow of yours with worry for me!"

Lyn's eye twitches and she seems taken aback for a few seconds.

"Uh . . . I was thinking of giving you a vulnerary, but. . ." She sputters before getting a hold of herself. She shakes her head and then moves her attention elsewhere before continuing, "It looks like you're fine. So, never you mind."

Sain's smile falters. Mark has to suppress his need to laugh when he sees Sain's eyes widen with realization. Sain throws his arm out and pleads, "No, wait! I'll take it! Please, I'll take it!"

Kent cuts in, "Milady, if you would please lend your assistance. We were not given many supplies on our journey and we left Bulgar before getting anything important due to us needing to find you."

Lyn nods her head and relents, "Very well." She gestures towards Mark who is carrying all of the satchels. "Mark, you have the vulneraries so could you give Sain one?"

"Of course . . . just give me a few seconds to find . . . which satchel was it?"

While Mark starts to dig around, Lyn turns towards Kent and focuses on him. She narrows her eyes as she voices her suspicions. "Now then, you said you needed to find me? What for? Are you going to share your story with me?"

Kent gives a small nod of his head before starting.

"Yes. We have ventured from Caelin, in Lycia, in search of someone."

Mark, having finally found the teal bottle he was looking for, hands it to Sain while asking his own question. "Lycia? I was told that that's the country beyond the mountains to the southwest. Is that right?"

Sain gives his thanks and answers with a chipper, "Correct! We've come as messengers to the lady Madelyn, who eloped with a nomad some sixteen years ago."

All of a sudden, Lyn, who had been relaxing as she intently listened, now looks as stiff as a board. She hesitantly parrots back, "Madelyn?"

Kent gives a soft hum in affirmation, "Our lord the Marquess of Caelin's only daughter. He is said to have been heartbroken that his own daughter would abandon him so. Eventually, the Marquess simply declared that he had no daughter."

"But then this year," Sain smiles as he continues the story, "the Marquess received a letter from Lady Madelyn. It said that she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the Sacae plains. The Marquess was ecstatic to learn he had a granddaughter of fifteen years." Sain's smile widens ever futher as he looks up remembering, "I remember the smile on his face when he announced he'd suddenly become a grandfather. The granddaughter's name is Lyndis. This was also the name of the Marquess' wife, who passed away at an early age."

Sain stops the story for a moment to check Lyn's reaction but Lyn seems lost at this. His smile leaves him when he sees her looking down at the ground with her mouth opening and shutting a number of times. Lyn finally squeaks, "Lyndis?"

Sain's gives a sad smile but he picks up where he left off. "That she should bear this name thawed the Marquess's heart. Now, his only wish is to meet his daughter's family at least once. This is why we're here." Sain's smile disappears midsentence. "Or . . . at least that wasthe reason. We didn't know that Lady Madelyn died a few days after sending her letter . . . We only learned this shortly after we arrived in Bulgar."

Sain stops to awkwardly rub his head but Kent smoothly carries on. "But we also learned all was not lost. Her daughter yet lives. We heard that she was living alone on the plains . . . I . . . I knew it immediately. You are the lady Lyndis."

Lyn shakes her head in disbelief.

"Why would you think that?"

"Your resemblance to your departed mother is remarkable."

Lyn's head snaps up. Her eyes may be watering but the mention of her mother has them sharp and focused.

"What? Did you know my mother?"

Kent softly shakes his head, "I'm sorry to say that I never met her directly, but I saw her portraits in Castle Caelin."

Lyn once again loses focus, but the knights allow her a moment to gather her thoughts. It is not every day that you learn one of your parents used to be some type of royalty. This isn't to mention that the subject has just ripped open a still healing wound. Lyn's hands are closed tight and shaking while a few tears run down her face. Finally, after a small moment, the three men surrounding her hear a choked laugh. Kent looks worried and Sain starts to get off his horse and go to her but Mark halts him. Mark grabs Sain's arm and gives a small tug. He shakes his head while wearing a soft smile. Sain gives Mark an incredulous look before he notices something odd on Lyn's face, a smile. Her body has relaxed as well.

"To the rest of my tribe, I was always Lyn. But when I was with my parents . . . When it was just the three of us, I was Lyndis. It's all so strange. I was all alone in the world and now I have a grandfather. Lyndis . . . I never thought I would hear that name again."

Lyn's smile stays on her face for a short second before her eyes widen and her body immediately tenses.

"Wait!"

"Lyn?"

Lyn's head jerks up to face Mark who sees her growing panic. The knights see her distress and quickly dismount.

"That bandit!" Lyn shouts, "He called me Lyndis too!"

Confusion hits both Kent and Sain. Sain's focus shifts towards the sky while Kent's eyes narrow and he asks, "What? How could he have-"

Sain cuts in, "He was a henchman of Lord Lundgren, wasn't he?"

It is Lyn's turn to be confused while Kent's eyes narrow even further. Lyn tilts her head.

"Lundgren? Who's that?"

Kent growls, "He's the Marquess' younger brother. Everyone assumed that Lady Madelyn was gone forever. This made Lord Lundgren heir to the Marquess' titles."

Sain has a serious frown on his face for once when he explains, "To be blunt, milady, your existence is an obstacle to your granduncle's ambitions."

"That's-", Lyn scowls, "But I have no interest in inheriting any title!"

Sain only sighs while disagreeing. "Unfortunately, your granduncle is not the sort of man to believe that. I believe the attempts on your life will persist."

Lyn's arms rise to cradle her head. Her head moves side to side in her hands before she looks up to the two knights.

"But this- This isn't . . . What should I do?"

"Accompany us to Caelin." Kent softly answers. "Continuing on this way is dangerous."

"I- " Lyn hesitates and then looks back to where the battle had ended.

_If Lundgren truly wants me dead then . . . I'm going to need help and these knights are offering such help._

Lyn's gaze returns to the two knights. She looks between both of them and sees only concern in their eyes. Her eyes travel downward and she slumps.

"I feel I have little choice. I will go with you."

Sain nods his head and then mounts his horse. Kent's attention lingers on Lyn for a moment before he too climbs into the saddle. Sain walks his horse over to Lyn and leans down to her to offer a hand up. Lyn gently shakes her head.

"I would prefer to walk."

"But surely it would be beneath such a lady to have to do something so exhausting as walking after a pitched battle!"

"Sain!"

Sain looks over to Kent who's staring at him. Sain smiles and shrugs but taps his horse to start walking. Lyn trudges just behind him while Mark positions himself to the side. Sain looks down to see an entertained expression on Marks face.

"Do not worry, Sain. It is the thought that counts."

Sain puffs up but just as quickly deflates when they hear Kent, behind them, actually snort. Lyn's mouth twitches up a small amount too. The small group gets back onto the pathway and after a short discussion, Kent leads them in the direction back to Bulgar.

"Mark?"

Mark slows down enough to walk shoulder to shoulder with Lyn. Lyn's hands fidget both with her sword's grip and the hem of her robes.

"Yes?"

"Mark . . . I'm sorry."

Mark's eyebrows bunch up and he frowns.

"What for?"

Lyn cringes and looks up while making a weak gesture at the two knights.

"Uh . . . Well . . . For this. This changes everything. I did want to travel with you! But-" Lyn sighs, "If what these knights say is true, and I have no reason to truly doubt them, then I have a grandfather that I need to meet." Lyn is able to crack a smile. "I have family I want to see. But that means I have a set destination. And so," She looks at Mark with a slight frown, "What will you do, Mark?"

Mark only shrugs.

"I do not know quite yet."

Both look away for a moment before Mark claps his hands together.

"Ah!"

Lyn moves her attention back to Mark who is now giving her a huge smile.

"If you are the granddaughter of a Marquess, then that means you are a member of royalty, Right?"

Lyn hesitates before slowly nodding her head.

"Well then! Royalty have their own followers that they can give their orders to. And since I am following you, I can technically be given orders."

Lyn can only stare for a moment before she blinks a couple of times and then slowly asks, "You . . . want me to decide?"

"Correct!"

Lyn focuses back on the road and thinks it over.

"Of course, your companionship would do much to ease my journey, but . . . " She turns back wearing a cross between a frown and a grimace to Mark and admits, "It's going to be so dangerous. Sain said that my- my granduncle won't leave us be and might actively see us harm."

Mark's smile doesn't diminish. Lyn did not think it was possible but Mark's smile actually seems to have grown a tad bit bigger.

"That is why a tactician will be a good thing to have. I would think that such skills would be very helpful in a follower. Right?"

Lyn's eyes widen and her blank expression breaks out into glee.

"You'll come?"

"Yes."

Lyn asks for confirmation with an, "Are you sure?", as if she could not believe what she was hearing.

Mark only laughs, "I said yes already, did I not?"

Lyn clasps her hands together and exclaims, "Thank you! Please, I hope you will continue to give me your aid!"

Sain looks back in the middle of the interplay and mentally curses his luck when he sees Lyn hug Mark.

_Why don't I ever get a hug?_

* * *

**Author's Notes (24/04/15): **_**Hello, readers! *wipes sweat from brow* ****_W_hew. What a chapter huh? Haha, I told you it would be at least as long as the last one. Last one was 17 pages in Word and this one capped out at 21. At least there finally was a battle, right? Eleven versus four seems awfully unfair but when you're mainly dealing with your everyday rabble and they're stupid enough to split in half**_** and **_**separate**** themselves it makes it doable. **_

_**"Wait," you say, "Shouldn't Sain have missed the first one?" You would be right ... if I actually cared any for the tutorial at all. Some of it makes for some good adaptable dialogue but most of it doesn't ****and spirits know the general dialogue isn't good by itself****. As seen from the vulnerary offering, I do take some things if I find them useful but I won't always put them in the correct order. Besides, who would say real life is run on easy? ... Okay Sain getting a hit in would make it **_**appear**_** to be but that's beside the point! **__**Also, would anybody be willing to give Sain a hug? I sure won't be. *snicker* **_

_**Anyways, I better get my rear in gear for the next chapter. My buffer is shot and this chapter was started August of last year! If you're actually wanting to write a complete story in a meaningful time frame, then never let it be said that writing is something you can just do here and there. Unless it's a short one or a poem. Anyway, until next time!**_

**(SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION) If you're still here then I had posted another story idea last week. It's a cross-over between RWBY by Rooster Teeth and Fate/stay night by Type-Moon. It's RWBY character based and it's called "_The End of What Remains_". The more in-depth summary is on my profile page or you could just read the first chapter itself. I'll of course be focusing on this story. I write in a first come first serve manner and this story did come first so ... If you try it I hope you enjoy it, but if not I hope you continue to enjoy this one at least.**


	8. Sword of Spirits

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything from _Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken._ Any and all canon characters and settings are property of Intelligent Systems. I also do not claim anything non-canon that might appear, yadda yadda yadda.

Criticism always welcome.

* * *

A middle aged woman with brown hair rapped into a bun kneels before a small altar. On the altar is a sheathed sword imbedded into the stone. The woman gently lays her hands on the pommel of the sword and quietly speaks aloud a few wishes for safety. After a short moment she gets up and then walks towards an old man in white robes and a blue shawl who was silently watching over her. She stops short of him and leans slightly to give a small bow.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Elder."

The priest returns the bow with a warm smile and a slight lowering of his head.

"You're welcome and I hope that your trip is a safe one. It will be sad to know that you will miss the start of the festivities, however."

The woman stands straight and gives her own smile.

"I wish it wasn't so, but my family would be disappointed if I am unable to make my solstice special just because I would have no ingredients."

"As would I and no doubt many others."

The woman's and priest's chuckles are interrupted by a commotion coming from the temple entrance. The two look back to see a group of six armed men come barging into the main chamber. Five of the men spread out surrounding the priest while the sixth swaggers directly up to him. The dirty-blond sword wielder who's wearing an open red shirt stops inches away from him. The woman slowly backs to the side of the chamber while the priest calmly levels his stare at the man standing in front of him.

"Ah, Glass. What is the reason for such a rude interruption? I do believe I was busy tending to my duties."

Glass sneers and growls, "Old man! Stay where you are, and hold your tongue. I'm here for the sword and if you get in my way I won't hesitate to teach you a lesson."

At that statement of the thug's intentions, the priest frowns and takes a cautious step back towards the altar.

"Threaten me as you will, but I'll not give up the Mani Katti. Besides, the blade is under divine protection and even if you tried to lift it you wouldn't be able to raise it an inch. It cannot be removed from its place of rest."

Glass takes a threatening step forward with a smile full of disdain and laughs.

"You grovel over that sword day in and day out. It's pathetic. You're a fool, old man. You don't truly understand the purpose of that blade. After all, what good's a sword if you don't use it?"

"Use it?" The priest gasps. "In combat? Sacrilege!"

The thug stops and scowls, "Sacrilege?" He straightens up and boasts, "I am Glass! The gods fear my name! My swordplay is peerless and if I want that blade then I'll have it! Now, get out of my way!"

Glass charges towards the priest who was standing over the sword and harshly shoves him to the side. The priest flies towards the right and collides with the wall just in front of an open door. In the shadows near the temple's entrance the still present woman covers her mouth in shock. None of the men pay her any attention while she sneaks her way out. Glass calms and looks down at the sword. The soft light of the temple bounces off the intricate sheath and dances in the thief's eyes. His smile widens as even he stands in awe of the sword.

"This is it! It's more magnificent than I'd imagined! This sword was made for a swordsman of my skill."

The other thugs slowly step towards the altar in anticipation. Glass smirks and his hands slowly rise in front of him. They go to cover the grip of the sword and he gives a sharp tug upward when his hands feel the leather grip. The sword doesn't budge in the slightest. Instead, Glass feels an uncomfortable sensation worm its way into his mind.

_**UnworthyViolentMiscreantCriminal**_

Confusion flashes onto his face and he grimaces.

"Hmm? What is this?"

He tugs again and then again after that, but the sword remains in its sheath. Once more, it looks as if it hadn't even been touched.

"I can't ..." Glass grits his teeth and pulls with all of his might. "... draw the sword ... from its scabbard?"

Glass shoots a glare at the priest and yells, "What is the meaning of this!?"

The priest looks at the thug and calmly says, "The spirits of the blade have judged you and you have been found wanting. They have rejected you."

Glass's look turns incredulous and he snarls, "What?"

He turns towards the priest and takes out his own sword.

"Listen, you senile old fool, if you value your life you'll get out of my sight!"

Glass lunges at the priest who scrambles through the open doorway. The Elder is barely able to shut the door before the swordsman cuts through where he was. Glass lets out a feral yell and curses, "Miserable Spirits! I care nothing for you!"

He stomps back to the altar and shouts, "I'll tear down this altar stone by stone. By the time I'm done here, no one will be able to give you ANY respect!"

* * *

"And so Kent and I came riding in and they all stumbled to a halt. Stuck between our horses to their front and the guards to their rear, who were catching up to them around this time, they had absolutely no where to go. You should have seen their faces! I could have sworn that the one peering up my lance had completely soiled his pants!"

Mark and Lyn laugh at Sain's story as they walk beside him. After the battle yesterday the four had returned to Bulgar for some much needed rest. Lyn had led all three of them to an inn where Kent paid for their lodgings. Not all that surprising, all four immediately decided to sleep after such an exhausting day. The dawn came too soon, in Lyn's opinion, when the small party awoke and readied themselves to move. After a short detour to buy a sword for Sain - ("I thought I told you to buy one yesterday!" - "Uhh ... I forgot?" - "Forgot, or were you too busy dallying with the ladies?") - they were now on the path headed south. Sain had been regaling Lyn and Mark about old tales of trouble that the knightly duo had gotten into to pass the time.

Mark finishes laughing and says, "That was pretty smart to try to seal them in a small alley."

Before Sain can boast of this, Kent cuts in and shrugs off the compliment by saying, "It just so happened that it was there where we caught up with the thieves."

Sain pouts and whines, "Come now, Kent. When someone tells you how accomplished your heroics are, you don't reject such respect, you thank them for it!"

"We're knights, Sain. It's our job to help people. It doesn't matter how we help them, it only matters that we do."

Sain scoffs and then turns to Mark with a wide grin.

"Well, Kent can be happy with the reward of only doing his job but do you want to know what the best part for me was?"

Mark and Lyn share a glance before Mark returns the grin and asks, "What?"

"When we returned to the merchant with his stolen goods, his lovely daughter was kind enough to give me a kiss!"

Both Lyn and Mark roll their eyes at this and they can hear Kent in front of them sigh. Lyn moves to the front with Mark trailing along her. Mark stops beside Kent and lets his sight wander across the surrounding plains and forests. The hills grow a little taller to the West while the trees continue to thicken even further to the South. A little ways up ahead, he notes a slight fork in the road with one split going west and the other going east. He notifies the group.

"So if Lycia is to the South-West, we will be taking the west road then?"

Kent nods his head.

"Yes. From here I would guess that we would be a little less than two days away from the border with Bern."

Mark nods his head in understanding and walks up to Lyn in order to relay the information. She purses her lips and then shakes her head.

"Hold a moment, Mark."

Lyn stops. She waits a second to allow Kent and Sain time to come closer before explaining, "Before we start our journey proper, allow me a small detour. There is a sacred sword enshrined in an altar east of here. The people of Sacae go there to pray for safety at the onset of a long journey. I was hoping to ask the spirits if they would look over us on our way."

Sain remarks, "Oh, how quaint."

Kent shoots Sain a stern glare. Sain rubs his head and awkwardly apologizes.

"Heh, I meant no offense of course."

Lyn waves her hand as a motion of forgiveness.

"None taken. I would still like to pay my respects though. Do you have any objections?"

The knights shake their heads and Lyn turns around to continue walking. The group reaches the fork and they head east between the low hills. After traveling a little ways in the slight valley, they rise over a small incline to see a village in the distance. Next to the small buildings and houses there is what looks like an old ruin a little ways on the north side of the village. The temple is sitting on a hill with a small wall and a group of trees separating it from the rest. Next to Lyn, Mark asks whether there are many altars that are devoted to the spirits.

Lyn shakes her head and says, "I don't think so."

Kent adds, "It's unlikely. The teachings of Elimine have the most followers in Elibe. It is nice to see that here, at least, the ancient customs are still observed."

The group continues their walk towards the small town when they notice there is a decent amount of activity going on. As they enter the outskirts of the village, they notice that the people seem agitated for some reason.

"I would think it would be unusual for there to be this many people out and running about," notes Sain.

Mark's smirk lessens and he agrees, "Something is happening."

Kent's eyes narrow while he scans their surroundings. He observes how the villagers are talking wildly. The women seem unnerved while the men shoot the occasional glance up the street. Almost everybody eyes Lyn's group warily.

Kent says, "Judging by their expressions, it's nothing good."

Mark looks around as well and nods. His smirk finally turns into a small frown.

"Something has frightened them. But what?"

Lyn also looks around and then shrugs.

"Well, there's one way to find out. Follow me and let's ask someone."

The three men follow Lyn as she moves toward one of the villagers. She walks up to a lady with her hair in a bun. The lady turns to them as they get closer. Her face which was already filled with nervousness turns worse and she takes a step back. Lyn stops walking and puts her hands palm up to show she means no harm.

Lyn smiles and asks, "Hello. My friends and I here were wanting to head to the altar to ask for a safe journey but we couldn't help but notice how worried everyone seems. Is something going on?"

The woman looks from Lyn to Mark and then to the two armed knights. She gulps and then jerkily nods her head. She hesitantly moves toward the group and asks, "I beg your pardon, milady, but you said you were heading to the altar?"

Lyn softly nods her head.

"Yes, we are indeed."

The lady then fully walks up to Lyn, clasps her hands together and pleads, "Then you must hurry and help the priest there. I was at the altar when a group of local ruffians went in not long ago. They seemed intent on stealing the altar's sacred sword!"

Lyn stands slack-jawed and asks, "The Mani Katti ... They're going to steal the Mani Katti?"

The woman nods her head.

Lyn's expression turns to anger and she growls, "The spirits themselves have blessed that blade! I cannot allow this to happen!"

The woman smiles and continues, "You look like a virtuous group. Please, the priest needs your help!"

Lyn calms down a little and gives the lady a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry. We'll be sure to get rid of the thieves and see to it that the priest is safe."

Lyn turns and gives the knights who are waiting patiently a pointed look. Kent sighs and then steps forward a little to state, "If you plan on going to the priest's aid, you'll need to prepare."

While Sain moves to her other side, Lyn breathes in and says, "Yes, you're right."

She then looks over at Mark whose eyes are closed. Mark's eyes then open and he walks towards the woman who had pleaded with Lyn. Lyn eyes him with confusion as he walks past her.

"Mark? We need to be moving to the temple."

"One moment please. That lady said she was there so it is likely she knows what we will be up against."

Mark walks past Lyn and calls out to the woman who is now walking away.

"Excuse me, miss?"

The woman stops and turns around.

"Uh, yes?"

Mark finishes walking up to her and gives her a smile when he asks, "You said you were at the temple when the thieves came. I was hoping you might know how many there are and what weapons they held."

The woman pauses for a second and then awkwardly laughs, "Oh! Of course, my apologies."

She nervously wrings her hands while she continues, "There were six men. Five of them were carrying axes and I think their leader had a sword."

Mark nods his head and thanks her. He starts to turn back but the woman makes him stop.

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

The woman hesitates but says, "Perhaps you'll benefit from something I know. The bandits might have the main entrance guarded. However, one of the altar's walls is horribly cracked and in poor repair. I'm not sure if you can but it's possible you might create another entrance there." After that her voice takes on a hint of desperation. "And please, do your best! We're all counting on you!"

Mark smiles wider and he assures her, "Don't worry. They will be dealt with in no time."

Mark returns to the small group where he gives them a curt nod. Kent gives a hum of acknowledgment.

"So, we will have to deal with six men."

Sain gives snorts, "Ha. Easier than last time for sure."

Lyn smiles at this but Mark frowns and begins rubbing his hand. Thinking, he voices his disagreements out loud.

"Potentially, but not necessarily. We won last time only because they cut their group in half, dispersed on top of that, and then made poor decisions all the while. If they came at us together we likely would have had to run. That might be the case here. They are holed up in a temple so that means five people together with a sixth made to be a look out. It could easily become six versus three and then there's the chokepoint that is the entrance ..."

The knights give him a curious look as Mark's rant dies down. Lyn nervously asks him, "Do you really think that will be the case?"

Mark blinks and then breaks out into a smile.

"It is the worst case possibility so it is unlikely even if possible. If it does happen we have ways around that. To get around the issue of numbers all one needs to do is split those numbers up. For this, all we will need is a distraction."

Sain tilts his head and asks, "And how are we supposed create one?"

Mark's smile widens and he explains, "That broken wall the lady made mention of. I doubt we would be able to actually break it down but in trying to..."

Sain continues the thought, "In trying to it will make noise."

Lyn's eyes widen as she completes the idea and she almost shouts, "And so they'll go to investigate!"

Lyn and Sain smile while Mark laughs, "Exactly!"

Kent, however, frowns and gives voice to the doubt, "What happens if they all come out to investigate. Even if four come out it would put us in some trouble."

Mark shakes his head and says, "They do not know we are here so they would think it was just some villagers at first. They would not do that just for some unarmed villagers. I would say three at most to try to scare us off."

Kent's frown doesn't budge.

"What about the priest?"

Mark's smile lessens and he starts rubbing his hand again.

"I will be able to tell his situation once we get close enough. He should be safe until we ambush the first group. After that we would have to move in fast. Do you have a suggestion?"

Kent mulls over what he knows. He sighs when can't think of anything better and shakes his head.

"Very well then. From what I saw on our way into the village I would say we should go through the woods behind the wall and not up the path directly in front of the temple. We would have less chances of being seen until we want to be then."

With everything said the men look to Lyn. She shuffles around nervously before deciding, "Well, shall I take the lead?"

After the knights give their affirmative, and a thumbs up in the case of Mark, Lyn leads the group toward the trees on east side of the village. When they near the trees Mark can't help but ask a curiosity question.

"You said that this sword was sacred, but why? What is its story?"

The group does their best to quietly move through and silence falls over the group as they listen to Lyn whisper an explanation.

"I don't actually know much. It was a tale told to me by ..." Lyn's tone turns somber. "... by my father. It was given to the spirits as an offering centuries ago. In return, the spirits promised to only allow the sword to be wielded by that person who was most worthy of carrying it. In that way it was blessed by them. It is also said that the sword itself is possessed by those same spirits. A resting place maybe, I guess. "

Sain hums and asks, "But if these spirits live in the sword, would they ever want it to be used in the first place?"

Before Lyn can respond, Mark shushes them. Lyn looks at him questioningly but he only points forward. Lyn looks ahead through the trees and is able to make out the stone walls of the temple just in front of them. She is also sees some movement and struggles to make out two of the bandits walking around.

Lyn looks back to see Mark with his eyes closed. She asks, "Mark?"

After a moment of silence Mark speaks up.

"Two bandits walking along the side ... two bandits at the front entrance and ... two bandits inside. Their leader is inside."

"How do you know? You can't possibly see them."

Lyn looks back to see Kent with his eyes narrowed. Mark looks back at him as well and says, "I _was_ telling the truth when I said telepathy."

Kent is about to argue when Lyn cuts him off.

"He's telling the truth Kent. I have experienced what his ability can do." Abruptly turning back to Mark she enquires, "What about the priest."

A tense few second crawls by, but Lyn sees Mark smirk.

"It looks like the priest has locked himself inside a room just off the main chamber. He is safe and so we will not need to worry about him."

Lyn lets out a breath.

"If what you say is true, then they've divided themselves almost perfectly ..." quips Kent.

Opening his eyes, Mark chuckles and says, "It just makes it that much safer for us. Now then, let us deal with these two first. We will set up an ambush. We do not want to tip off the two at the entrance so Kent, Sain? Move behind those trees."

Mark points at a row of trees just behind them. The knights look to Lyn and she nods. Having their confirmation they set about moving to do as they're told. Mark then points at a bush just behind that row. He tells Lyn, "I want you to hide behind that."

Lyn hesitates and questions, "But then who will lure them in to the trap?"

Mark's smirk falters and he stares at Lyn for a second before saying, "Well, uh, me of course."

Lyn's eyes widen and she violently shakes her head.

"No! You're unarmed; you won't be able to defend yourself. If they catch you I won't be able to help you! Send me, please!"

Mark seems taken aback for a second but then he smiles and says, "It is alright. Being unarmed is the point. If they see someone with a weapon then they would know it wasn't a villager. They may send for the others and that cannot happen. We need to keep them divided. And they will not catch me. Do you not think I am faster than a couple of bandits?"

Lyn's eyes are filled with fear and she argues, "But you're still -"

Mark interrupts her, suddenly looking serious. He asks, "Lyn, have you trusted me so far?"

Lyn stops talking and bites her lip. She looks down and nods.

Mark breaks out into a smile and says, "Thank you. I will be back before you know it."

Lyn watches him go and she sighs. She doesn't notice his presence enter her mind to remind her, _**Don't forget to hide!**_

Lyn is startled a little but she shakes her head and moves back. She crouches to the side of the bush and places her hand on the pommel of her sword. She nervously squeezes it and looks around. She spies Sain patting the neck of his horse. He looks through the small forest in the direction of the temple with a slightly concerned expression. A stomping of hoofs causes her to turn to Kent who is only a few meters away. She looks at him to find him looking at her.

Kent assures her, "You needn't worry, milady. He wouldn't have gone if he wasn't sure he would make it back."

Lyn nods and tries to relax. She settles down and focuses her attention, trying to catch a glimpse of how Mark's venture is going. A couple of minutes pass and Lyn gets up, about to move out from her hiding spot, when Mark breaks into her mind and practically shouts, _**OK, here they come!**_

She crouches down and grips her sword properly. She barely notices Kent suddenly tense in his saddle a second after Mark's message. She gets a nice view, however, of Sain nearly jumping out of his a second after Kent. Sain readies his sword and gives an awkward laugh while saying, "Well, you can call me a believer now."

"Focus!" snaps Kent.

The three tense and ready themselves. Soon enough the three hear the snapping of tree branches and the quick crunching of leaves. First, they see Mark with a manic grin run past them and swivel back to face in the direction he just came from. The next thing that happens is that two bandits come charging in. The lead one has a cut across the forehead and is the infinitely more angry of the two. Before the leading man is able to run past and attack Mark, Lyn jumps out and in one move unsheathes her sword and cuts the bandit across his gut.

"Grk!"

The bandit's momentum causes him to continue past. He swerves and crashes into a tree. He falls down onto the ground with his insides spilling out. The second bandit is caught completely off guard and makes the mistake of stumbling to a halt. Earlier than he can go back onto the offensive, Sain trots by and slices him across the back of his neck. He clutches his wound and turns around to try to face the knight who just attacked. This leaves him wide open for Kent to come up from behind him and slam his sword into his head. It takes a second for the bandit's body to come to grips with death but it eventually falls as well.

Lyn and the knights regroup in the small clearing while Mark is doubled over trying to catch his breath. Lyn uneasily looks at the two bodies lying around. Sain makes a quick survey as well but then returns his gaze to the rest of the group with a grin.

"I would say this was an ambush well executed!"

Kent shakes his head. Lyn only gives Sain a slight frown while asking, "Was ambushing them necessary though?"

"Yes. It was the best we could do to lower their numbers while keeping us safe. "

The three turn to see Mark rejoin them. He's wearing a smile but it doesn't seem to reach his eyes. Lyn's frown is now aimed at him and she asks, "What did you do to get their attention."

Mark shrugs and answers, "Well at first I just sort of stood there hoping they would get annoyed and start chasing me but they had a surprising amount of patience. I then sent a couple of insults their way but that just made them sneer and they started moving back towards the entrance. I could not have that so next I grabbed a rock and threw it at them."

Sain chuckles and says, "You must have pretty good aim to have hit one of them in the head."

Mark's panting finally eases. His smile grows more genuine and he replies, "I actually missed the first time and the second time I was not actually aiming. I got lucky."

"Enough! We still need to deal with the others."

Kent snaps the group back to focus. Sain flinches and awkwardly rubs his neck while Mark's face turns serious. Mark hums and agrees.

"You are right. Let us move and deal with the ones at the front. Kent and Sain, I want you two to-"

Mark's planning is interrupted by a soft gurgle. The group whirls around to find that one of the bandits wasn't quite finished. The one who had his stomach torn open is doing his best to sit up against the tree. He is having a hard time of it though and it is apparent that he is barely able to move at all. He finally notices the group staring at him and he growls. The man grabs his axe which had fallen next to him and he starts crawling his way towards Kent. Even wounded so harshly, the seething hatred in the man's eyes makes it obvious what he is trying to do.

Kent stares at the man for a moment before slowly detaching his spear from his saddle. With a restrained expression he moves his horse into a slow walk towards the downed bandit. Lyn looks worriedly from Kent to Sain and then to Mark. All three men look uncomfortable at the current situation. Lyn's eyes snap back to Kent as he begins to speak.

"Do you truly wish to continue with this course of action?"

Kent looks down at the struggling bandit. The bandit tries to look back and spit, but he can't get his head up that far and so the glob falls short of the horse's hoof.

The bandit spits back, "Ch-Choke on your tongue ... filth."

Kent sullenly replies back, "Very well."

The bandit weakly raises his axe a couple of centimeters. Kent sighs and closes his eyes as he pierces the spear through the man's neck. The man falls limp and the axe falls with a dull "thump."

Lyn shouts, "Kent!"

Kent ignores her and quickly pulls the spear back. He turns his horse around to see Lyn green and pale. The shock written on her face quickly grows into anger. She steps forward and yells, "W-What was that?!"

Sain moves forward as well and he softly says, "He was defending himself, milady. The bandit was still trying to attack."

Lyn spins around to Sain and snarls, "Defend himself? The man was on the ground! He couldn't even lift his axe!"

Kent sternly says, "Then consider it a mercy."

Lyn whirls back at Kent and stares at him. Her eyebrows are scrunched up and eyes wide in a look of disbelief.

She stutters, "M-Mercy?"

Before Kent can answer, Mark calls out to Lyn. She turns around to him and she see his expression is serious but has a touch of melancholy. Silver eyes gaze directly into bright emeralds.

"What would you have done, Lyn? Would you have just let the man lie there and suffer? Once you saw him still alive, I know you would not have allowed him to bleed out."

"Of course not! I would have -"

Lyn tries to come up with something but no idea comes to her. Her mind races back and forth as Lyn tries to come up with an action that would have helped. In the end it only reaches dead end after dead end.

Lyn's shoulders start to slump and she mumbles, "I would have ..."

Mark interrupts her before she can say anything else and softly says, "You would have done what? That was not a wound we could just bandage up. And even if it was, the fact of the matter is that he was still trying to attack us. Helping him would have put us in danger. As for vulneraries, they may work wonders on light wounds or glancing blows, but no matter how effective they seem they are not on the level of something that would need a healing staff."

Mark points back at the man on the ground. Lyn hesitantly looks back as well and tries to focus on the gruesome sight. She can only start to make out the faint image of the man's entrails slowly sliding out before her own mind forces her to jerk her attention back to Mark. His expression turns more sorrowful.

"I am truly sorry Lyn, but Kent is right in this instance. It was a mercy."

Lyn brings a hand up to her mouth and her sword falls to the dirt. With wide and shaking eyes, she tries to swallow the bile threatening to spew forth from her throat. Memories of nightmares past begin to replay themselves right in front of her eyes. Her breathing becomes harsh and shallow. She starts to shake and after a moment her legs give out from under her. She falls on them. Her vision continues staring blankly forward through the trees.

"Milady/Lyndis!"

Kent and Sain call out and then quickly dismount. Mark tries to get her to stand but she continues to slump. Sain is the quicker of the two knights and he comes up beside her.

"Lyndis, what is wrong?"

"The p-priest."

The knights pause and then give each other a look. Mark looks confused and closes his eyes. Kent moves up to her and carefully takes Mark's place.

"Milady? What about the priest?"

Lyn slowly removes her hand and balls it into a fist beneath her chin.

Sputtering, she continues, "We-w-we need to h-help the priest."

Mark opens his eyes and states, "The priest is fine and the bandits are still only rummaging around. We still have time to help you."

"No. The priest, helping him is what we came to do. L-let us do that."

The three men surrounding her share an uncomfortable look for moment. Mark sighs and moves away.

"Kent, Sain? Are you confident enough in your abilities to be able to take on the two axe wielders at the entrance?"

Sain's head shoots up in astonishment. He looks directly at Mark and asks, "What? Our lady is panicking and you would have us leave her?"

Mark shakes his head and answers, "I'm not leaving her alone, no.", but his attention is focused solely on Kent.

Sain changes to look at Kent and says, "Kent, surely we should ..."

Sain's plea falls quiet before it is completed. A silent and tense moment passes. Kent focuses on Mark for most of it but he ends looking at the girl he is supposed to be protecting. She has stopped shaking and her breath appears to have calmed some even if tears continue to trail down her cheeks.

Kent looks back to Mark and asks, "You will not leave her alone?"

Mark's smirk returns and he says, "I will be with her the entire time."

Sain shouts in frustration, "Kent, tell me we aren't actually leaving her!"

"It's alright, Sain."

Sain blinks and looks back to Lyn. Lyn gives Sain a weak smile while holding herself. Her voice shakes as she reassures the two knights.

"I ... I'll be fine. The priest is the reason we're doing this and so we should focus on him. Mark already said he would stay with me, so please go and do as he says."

Sain and Kent look at Mark. Mark gives a wide smile and says, "We will be right beside you in no time."

Kent gives a small grunt before moving back to mount his horse again. Sain hesitates but eventually goes to do the same. Mark watches for a moment as the two knights ride off towards the temple before turning back to Lyn. He crouches down and grabs Lyn's sword. He then kneels beside her and gives a goofy grin while offering the sword.

"Come on, we do not want them to have all the fun, right?"

Lyn merely nods her head slightly and mumbles, "Weak."

Mark's smile lessens and he asks, "Sorry?"

Lyn balls her hands into fists and says, "I thought that from yesterday's battle that maybe I had grown stronger. I had beaten three bandits. Without getting hurt! But here I am, having broken down like a little girl and over someone who was trying to kill us of all things! Then I remember that I was nearly killed yesterday too ... It was only thanks to you that I made it."

Lyn frowns and then wipes her eyes.

"So much for shedding no more tears ..."

Lyn calmly takes the sword out of Mark's hands. Before Lyn starts to get up, she feels a hand on her shoulder. She looks up to see Mark's smirk.

"It is not weakness to feel sorry for a foe. Moreover, there are different kinds of strength, Lyn. There is the kind of strength that you are striving for, which is a sort of invulnerability. That is difficult to have though, if not impossible. Even Sain, a fully trained knight, was hurt yesterday. I am certain Kent is the same way. And then there is me who was found half dead on the plains. I like to consider myself a pretty strong guy after all."

Lyn sees Mark's slightly gaunt face and looks down and replies, "You look like you could barely even be able to carry all the satchels you have none the less fight."

Lyn hears a soft whine and she looks back up to see Mark with a comically pouting face. His mouth is in a dramatic frown with the bottom lip covering the top and his eyebrows are overly tilted.

In a somewhat nasally voice he whines, "Lyn is a big meany! I can handle my bags just fine and then have strength left over to carry both Kent's and Sain's horses with both knights on them."

Lyn blinks and her mouth hangs slightly. The little staring match continues for short moment until Mark's face starts to twitch. He finally breaks out laughing. Lyn looks blankly for a little bit before she starts to grin as well. Once Mark stops laughing he looks back at Lyn with a big smile.

"You are right. I am pretty weak at the moment."

Lyn's grin disappears at that causing Mark to frown slightly.

"Everyone breaks down every once in a while Lyn. That is nothing to be ashamed of. In your attempts to gain the first strength, there will be times you stumble and fall. That is where the second strength comes in: the strength to get back up and keep moving."

Mark gets up and wipes the dirt of his pants. He holds out his hand and Lyn looks up to see him with his normal smirk.

"Well, I guess the question now is can you move? The knights still need your help and I am sure they would love it if they were saved by a strong capable lady such as yourself."

Lyn glares at Mark for the comment. She then stares at the hand for a second but finally gives a short laugh. With a wry smile she says, "At least Sain would."

Mark smirk breaks out into a wide smile and Lyn grabs a hold of the offered hand. Mark grunts while pulling Lyn to her feet. Lyn fully grips her sword and squeezes its handle while looking past the trees surrounding her. Lyn then turns back towards Mark and nods her head.

"Let's go."

Lyn starts running in the direction of the temple and the two break out of the woods. Just as they turn south they see both Kent and Sain trotting their way. Lyn slows to a halt and gives Mark a quizzical look. Mark only shrugs. Lyn furrows her brow and turns back. Kent stops short of them and he looks Lyn over.

"Are you well, milady?"

"I am now. Why have you come back here? Did you take care of the two at the front?"

"They have not." Mark says and he purses his lips while tilting his head.

Kent bows his saddle and apologizes, "My apologies, but there was a minor cliff that we were unable to move over and the wall surrounding the front kept us from going around it. We have to double back through the forest in order to get there."

Lyn bites her lip and then groans, "But we don't have the time to double back. We've already wasted too much time as it is."

"I think the solution might be simpler than that."

Lyn and the knights look back toward Mark. Mark only raises his hand to point at the temple wall.

The group observes it and Sain lets out a low whistle and says, "When that lady said the wall was is poor repair she really meant it."

The wall is indeed more than crumbling. Holes line an entire section of the temple and one spot in particular is so bad that one can see through it fully into the temple itself. In through the gaps Lyn believes she can see the slightest bit of movement. She looks back to Mark who has his eyes closed.

"It looks weak but it is still a stone wall. We have no way of bringing it down fast enough without alerting the bandits." Kent remarks.

"Or so you would think."

Kent looks back at Mark who is smirking and looking quite full of himself.

Kent raises an eyebrow and asks, "How exactly do you propose to do so?"

"Simple, I am going to topple the wall using magic."

The three others look at him in disbelief causing Mark to explain.

"I did say tomes were only needed as catalysts; they help form and shape magic while also making it easier to use. They are not necessary to use magic itself."

Kent narrows his eyes and argues, "You also said only talented mages were able to use magic without tomes."

Mark's only response is the widening of his grin to show his teeth. The knights look to each other while Lyn stares for a moment before her eyes widen in understanding.

"You said you would pass out if you used magic that way!"

"That was the day after I woke up, Lyn. It has been a couple of days since then and I feel better now. I will be fine."

Lyn starts to object further but she shuts her mouth and grinds her teeth. Kent takes this opportunity to ask for the plan.

Mark points at the wall and states, "This wall will crumble inwards. About how high and how far can you jump your horses?"

"The highest I remember is a little over a meter and a little less than double that length wise." Kent replies.

"Then once the wall is down I want both of you to jump through and deal with the ones inside. The two at the front will certainly come back in so deal with them as fast as possible. Lyn will follow in after you and help."

"What about the area? Will we even be able to move around?"

"Yes. There will be two columns directly to your left and right. You will be jumping in between them. You might not be able to move as much as you would want but you will not be risking your heads though. The leader is at the altar and the other grunt on the inside will be immediately to your right."

The two knights hum in acknowledgement and begin to move their horses to face the wall. Lyn squeezes her sword and remains quiet for a second while staring at Mark. After closing his eyes for a moment he then exhales and starts to move toward the wall. Lyn silently follows him. Mark crouches just in front of the wall and motions for Lyn to move to the side. Both of them look back at the knights and see Kent stop his horse a fair ways away with Sain directly behind him. Both of them ready their swords. Kent gives a stoic nod and Sain is back to wearing his confident grin.

Lyn watches as Mark turns back toward the wall. He raises his left hand, the one that has what looks like a tear-drop tattoo, and breathes in and out. Slowly Lyn sees the air surrounding the hand distort and she hears very faint crackles. Mark groans slightly and Lyn can now see a faint light begin to shine a few centimeters away from his open palm. Something else catches her eyes though. In the same color as the tattoo in his palm, another one bleeds through on the back of his hand. This one isn't a tear drop though. What looks like six eyes stare back at her. Before she can observe further a light bursts from Mark's hand and a large crack is heard. The light shoots away and hits the wall. The wall shudders and starts to fall. One by one the stones fall inward, throwing up dust and small rocks.

Lyn looks on in awe before hearing a moan. She turns to see Mark start to pitch forward. She scrambles and grabs him before he can fall face first into the ground. She quickly drags him to the side and lays him down. She looks back just in time to see Kent and Sain charge past her and jump their horses through the hole. Her focus shoots back to Mark. He's pale and breathing heavily.

Eyes wide Lyn shouts, "I thought you said you would be fine!"

Mark gives a weak smile and starts to control his breathing. He shakes off Lyn's grasp and hoarsely laughs, "I am. I have not passed out, have I?" Mark motions towards the newly made hole. "Now go. They will need your help."

Lyn frowns and hesitates but she gets up and starts running. She easily clears the pile of rubble. After clearing the small hill she takes in the situation. Kent is locked in a fight with the bandit on the right and Sain is turning to come back behind him. She looks left and sees the leader staring blankly at the scene. The thug gets a hold of himself and growls.

Sooner than he can take a step forward, Lyn charges at him. The leader shouts in alarm and back pedals. Lyn swings her sword trying to cut his legs but the bandit hops back out of the way.

He yells, "Who do you think you are? What chance do you think you have against me? I will own the Mani Katti! It was meant for me!"

The thug dodges a swing at his side and then lunges forward in a slanted overhead swipe. The blade cuts through air as Lyn ducks and side steps. She tries to stab him but the man quickly changes his stance to let it slide past him. Lyn is then forced to twirl away or risk getting sliced open. She takes a short jump back to gain distance.

She shouts back, "The Mani Katti doesn't belong to you. It belongs to the spirits!"

With a sharp yell she runs forward again. She brings her sword down and across. When that only cuts through air, she crouches and swings back the other way in another swipe at his legs. The bandit then thrusts at her but she steps to the side. She jumps in front of the altar and steals a quick look over to the knights.

Sain had dealt with the one axe wielder but now both knights are embroiled in duels with the two other axe wielders who must have ran inside. Judging from the pained expression on the man's face and the cut across the arm, Kent has his on the ropes. Sain is still jockeying for position with his.

With no more time to look Lyn pushes forward again. She rushes the approaching leader and tries once more to impale the bandit. The bandit side steps and pushes Lyn as she runs past. Lyn stumbles and is only barely able to bring her sword to swat the bandit's away. She regains her footing and squeezes her sword.

_He is almost as fast as I am and he only dodges. I need to keep him from being able to dodge._

In a slight change of plans she lets the bandit attack next. The bandit takes a large swing in an attempt to gut her. Lyn takes a small step back and then rushes forward. The bandit jumps back again. Lyn continues to attack. Each time Lyn lunges or strikes at him the bandit is pushes that much back. Lyn and the leader trade blows until the leader is almost back against the altar. Once she has him backed up enough, Lyn takes a huge swipe forward. The man lurches back but he doesn't have as much room as he thinks. His foot catches a step of the altar and he trips.

The man loses his balance and Lyn only has to stab forward. Her blade cuts through the man's shirt and into the middle of his chest. The bandit yelps in pain. He collapses back onto the altar with Lyn on top of him. Lyn pulls the sword back out and jumps back. She need not have bothered though.

The man gasps out, "You ... you ... urr ... urgh."

Lyn turns around just in time to see Sain finish up with his bandit by cutting into his neck. Sain turns his horse around and, along with Kent, moves toward the altar.

"That's the last of them." Sain observes.

Kent gives a hum in agreement and then looks around. He turns back toward Lyn and asks, "Is Mark still outside?"

Lyn's eyes shoot to the opening. She runs toward the gap in the wall and nearly jumps into Mark as he clumsily climbs over the rubbles.

Mark smirks and jokes, "Done already? I guess you did not need my rock throwing skills after all."

Lyn smiles and helps him over the rock pile. The two stop in front of Kent and Sain. Mark slumps against one of the columns.

Kent looks everyone over and then says, "We should look to make sure the priest is ok."

"There is no need for that."

The entire group looks behind them. They see the priest hobble over to them. He stops a little ways a way and gazes over them.

"Now then, who would-"

His sight stops on Lyn.

"Ah, your clothing ... Are you of the Lorca tribe?"

Lyn nods her head and gives a small bow.

"I am Lyn, the chieftain's daughter. Are you hurt, sir?"

The priest shakes his head and bows back.

"I might have been given a sore hip, but thanks to you I am unscathed. You have my gratitude."

Lyn glances over to the altar where the sword is still safely enshrined. She frowns and looks back to the priest.

She asks, "And the sword? Will it be safe?"

The priest moves to the sword and gestures Lyn to follow her. She does so and sees the priest lay his hands on the sword. She watches as the elderly man's hands glow with a faint light. The light fades after a short moment and the priest sways slightly before righting himself.

He turns back to Lyn and says, "I have just sealed the sword. Along with the protection the spirits themselves use to keep the sword in the sheath, the scabbard itself will now be tremendously hard to lift. Until I remove my spell, it will be like lifting a pile of rocks. Now," The priest clasps his hands and faces Lyn. "as a token of my gratitude, I shall allow you to lay hands on the Mani Katti. Touch the blade's pattern and pray for a safe journey."

Lyn smiles and bows even lower, "Oh, thank you so much! That was the reason we actually came here."

The priest looks in between the knights now standing awkwardly, their horses clomping their hooves, and Mark smiling back at him.

Mark laughs, "Yeah. The way things are going a safe journey is definitely something we will need."

The priest lifts an eyebrow but thinks better of asking. He turns back to oversee Lyn's prayers. Lyn kneels before the sword and places both of her palms over the sheath. As soon as her skin touches the metal pommel she feels a presence - no presences - enter her mind.

_Mark?_

_**HurtDeterminationCareLonging**_

Before she can question the new voices a sharp burst of light bleeds through from the sword's scabbard. The entire room's attention is pulled to the altar. Lyn stays still, almost paralyzed. The priest takes note of both the light and Lyn's unnatural tenseness and frowns slightly.

"Hm?"

Lyn tries to pull away but finds she can't. The sword itself seems to be keeping her from moving away. A sharp rise of fear grows but new alien feelings enter her mind and calm her.

"What? Did-"

Kent and Sain finally note that something is wrong and rush over to Lyn's side. Mark also pushes himself up and walks over. The presences insides Lyn's mind grow even stronger and the light of the sword changes to match.

_**TheOneOurWielderTimeNow**_

The swords light is now nearly blinding to those up close. Lyn squints and grimaces.

"The sword ... why is ... it glowing?"

Immediately after she finishes asking, the light winks out. Lyn now feels her mind empty as well. She slumps and lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Kent helps her up while sending the priest a questioning look. The Elder himself looks fairly in awe.

"Ah. Hm..."

He looks from Lyn to the sword and back.

"It's the power of the spirits. Lyn, they have looked in your soul and they call out to you."

Lyn finds her balance and asks, "What does that mean."

The priest steps back and bows. He says, "You are its rightful owner. You are to wield the Mani Katti."

The knights and Mark look over to Lyn. Her mouth hangs open for second before she shakes her head and squeaks, "No ... I can't ... I couldn't ..."

The priest straightens up and he gives Lyn a warm smile.

"It is the sword's wish. If you require proof, draw it from its sheath."

"Umm..."

Lyn hesitantly looks at the sword. For a moment she does nothing but curiosity gets the better of her. She slowly grips the sword handle. She smoothly pulls the blade up and out. New light shines over the sheath itself and swiftly evaporates. She gently places the blade in her palm while staring at it in astonishment.

She murmurs, "It came out ... effortlessly."

The priest whispers in a reverent tone, "I never dared to hope that I might meet the wielder of the Mani Katti in my life. I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands."

Lyn looks up with a slightly glazed look.

"My sword?"

The priest hums in agreement.

"The spirits have chosen you, and only you. No other may wield the sword. That means the scabbard is yours as well."

"But didn't you make it so that others wouldn't be able to take the scabbard?"

The priest's only answer is to lift his hand and gesture for Lyn to try. Lyn turns to the intricately designed piece of metal and pulls it out with as much ease as she did the sword itself. The priest gives a good natured chuckle at Lyn's dumbstruck expression.

"The scabbard is as much a part of the sword as the blade itself and the spirits have the final say on what power holds over it."

Lyn holds up and looks at the blade. She lets the sun glint off of it and then she gracefully pushes back into its sheath. She turns back toward the priest and gives him a wide smile.

"Thank you again."

The priest laughs, "Think nothing of it. Would you be willing to stay for a day and join in the celebrations? I am sure they will be even larger now that the Mani Katti has found its owner."

Mark's smile widens but Kent decides now to cut in, "I'm sorry Lyn but we should be leaving to head towards Lycia."

This causes Lyn to pause and she gives the priest an apologetic glance.

"I am sorry, Elder. Kent is right. I have lost family that I wish to meet and the more time we spend here is ..."

The priest holds a hand and hums in understanding.

"Of course, you have no need to stay. It was only an offer. I wish you well on your journey."

"I am grateful for the offer and-"

Lyn chooses this moment to look around the room. She takes in the new state of the wall, the dirt and mud covering the floor, and this is not to mention the three bodies of the bandits. Lyn gulps and the bows as low as she can.

"I apologize for such a mess. There is no excuse and-"

She is interrupted by a deep laugh. She looks up to see the priest holding his gut and shaking.

"Hohoho ... Yes this is quite a mess but you have no need to worry. The wall will be repaired and the spirits of the bandits will be given their due rights."

Lyn stands up and uncomfortably shuffles her feet. The priest walks up to her and places his hands on her shoulders.

"It is time for you to go. You face a great many ordeals. Place your trust in this sword and your companions and you will be able to face your destiny head-on. "

"Yes ... Yes sir!"

* * *

About an hour later the group has walked back through the small valley in between the hills and is now on the road west. The sun is near the horizon and the group decides to make camp a little ways beyond the old fork. The knights are finishing tying their horses to stakes. Mark is lying on his back looking at the stars as they appear. Lyn meanwhile stares at the sword in her hands. She lets her hands slide over the cold metal of the scabbard. Her fingers touch the small ridge lining opening and then down the rest of the curved shape.

"So this is the Mani Katti ... A blade with no equal."

Lyn is startled and her focus shoots upward. She sees Sain standing over her with his lopsided grin and Kent quietly standing to the side. Mark himself is now sitting up and looking over their way as well. Lyn looks back down and sighs.

"This is all so unbelievable. Perhaps the most famous sword in all of Sacae ... in my hands."

"It's not so strange." Kent counters. "In fact, many legends, tell similar tales ... Special blades all over the land call out to their proper owners. And yet," Kent allows his gaze to trail skyward, "when I saw you draw that blade, Lyndis ... I felt something extraordinary."

Kent looks back down and concludes, "That sword was waiting for you; you were meant to draw it."

Lyn's face flushes and she shrinks down.

"Stop it! I ... I'm nothing special!"

Sain leans to the side and brings his hand up. He proposes, "Think of it this way: Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hand, right? Well, the Mani Katti itself feels very comfortable with you. Does this make it any easier to accept?"

Lyn is quiet for a second and then nods her head.

"Yes, a little bit."

Sain shrugs and then chuckles, "Besides, the way that priest was talking it doesn't appear either of us can use it."

Mark affirms Sain's hypothesis, "Sain is right. It is very likely that anyone you hand it too will not be able to cut anything with it. If any of us try to swing it could be as dull as the scabbard itself. "

Sain looks back to Mark and adds, "Not even fit to cut a piece of cloth."

Mark breaks out into a wide-toothed grin and snickers, "Nor even an apple."

Lyn giggles and even Kent breaks form and smiles for once. Mark and Sain finish their listing of things uncuttable and focus back on Lyn. Lyn steals a short glance back down but she looks back at the other three with a smile.

"It ... does feel right in my hand. A blade that only I can wield. That seems reasonable enough. I can understand that."

"So what is next? A sword that spits flame?"

Lyn pulls out some grass and throws it ineffectually at Mark. After the events of the day, the group ends the night laughing.

* * *

_**Author's Notes (10/05/15):**__** I said I would do a chapter in a chapter and I meant it. Also, a chapter written in a week's time! Woohoo! The best thing about hobbies are that the only deadlines are the ones you set yourself and I would say only a day over a two week deadline is more than acceptable. **_

_**This chapter saw Lyn get her sword ... after having a panic attack and having Mark nearly pass out. Yeah, the middle of this chapter is a bit iffy to me. Honestly though, the story here is meant to see Lyn grow both **_**_physically _and_ emotionally. She's still a 16 year old girl. Of course if I'm having to write excuses that might be a message screaming but I write what I feel like writing. *shrug*_**

**_I guess I should modify bolded italics from Mark's ability to just the general idea of a foreign consciousness speaking inside of another's mind. I trust you readers are capable enough to understand that though. So why am I even mentioning it ... stream of consciousness writing can be weird sometimes._**

**_Up ahead we start up a band! We'll rock out next time. Until then!_**


End file.
